The Woman Out Of Time: The Continued Story: Part 2
by 100-percent-not-a-Muggle
Summary: Lowri is almost back to how she was and back on her feet, fighting Hydra but a more dangerous enemy is about to surface. Can Lowri pull herself together in time to help the team? Follow her on her story through the years. *Fourth in a series* *Please read The Woman Out Of Time, The Woman Out Of Time: The 21st Century, The Woman Out of Time: The Continued Story beforehand*
1. Chapter 1

**_First of all, massive apologies for the almost-month gap between stories, I assure you, it was meant to be two weeks maximum! So much has happened since last month, I've lost a family member, had so many problems with my car, worked my ass off in work for the last month so my pay better be amazing and I somehow managed to gain hours in work for the holidays but I do have a week off next week so I will definitely be updating!_**

 ** _As unlike my previous stories, I will not be updating numerous chapters on the day of release unfortunately._**

 ** _I will be updating every Tuesday though!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs._**

 ** _Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future._**

* * *

 _"_ _We've got another mission lined up and we've thought as a team that we think you're ready to get back out in the field." Bruce said slowly. Lowri had looked at Bruce wildly and wondered if he had gone crazy._

 _Once Lowri got over the shock of the invite, she began getting excited about the prospect of actually getting back out in the field, she felt as though she was ready._

That thought passed through Lowri's head as she flew high in the sky. The snow touched her skin for a half a second before it melted. The snowy backdrop of a woodland in Sokovia made their mission slightly harder than what was expected, but, every mission comes with hiccups.

Everyone had their small tasks to do. Lowri's was to take out the sentry towers with Tony. She rather enjoys flying up to the towers, surprising the guards with her fire. Everyone else was to take out the men on the ground.

Lowri found it so much easier now to channel her fire properly, thanks to the cuffs that Maria Hill slapped onto her wrists and it was so much more powerful. Despite her body core temperature being much lower than what it used to be, her fire came out hotter than ever.

" _Ri, sentry 45 degrees to your west. Take 'em out._ " Tony said over comms. Lowri flipped over the final guard on the sentry tower she was currently working on and took him out. She breathed out heavily as she straightened up.

"Got it." She replied. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end and in her experience, that means that something fast is flying towards her from behind. Lowri formed a fireball in her hand and spun to see a guard strapped to a jet pack and she threw the fireball at him before he could think of changing his route, he fell from the sky when the fireball hit his chest and the fire spread to the jet pack.

Lowri threw herself off the sentry tower at the same time and she watched as he fell with flailing arms and a busted jet pack, he rolled in the thick snow to stop the flames from eating at his clothes and singeing his skin, before getting shot in the shoulder with a familiar arrow.

And then Clint drove past with Nat at the wheel of big truck, clearly not theirs. Lowri spied Steve moving beside them on his motorcycle, he looked serious.

Lowri summoned her fire to her once more and she flew off, heading west to where the next sentry tower stood. There were three armed guards ready for her, all aiming guns in her direction.

But Lowri was quicker than these three men, it was as though she was moving in fast forward while these men were stuck in slow motion.

She ducked and dodged each bullet before delivering her own knockout hits to two of the men, both of whom fell to the ground where Nat swiftly dealt with them, having left the truck somewhere behind, while the last one ran at Lowri and punched her square in the shoulder, she fell backwards with that punch and kicked out at the remaining man but he jumped backwards and whipped out a handgun.

He was close the railing as he pulled out a handgun, he shot at her once and the bullet went straight through her stomach and out through her back. A wave of pain washed over her and she stumbled backwards, she hit the rail behind her and grasped onto it, she pressed her hand to her stomach and straightened up.

The man threw his handgun to the side and grabbed his other weapon, a Hydra weapon. Lowri's breathing hitched but she refused to let this man know she was scared, she kept a stony face as she stepped towards him.

He shot at her again, the pain was definitely worse than being shot with a regular gun, she was thrown back against the railings and all the wind was knocked from her. Despite the pain from her stomach, she threw herself at the man in front of her, she knocked the Hydra weapon from his hands and she brought him over the railing with her.

Lowri kept her arms tight around him but he was desperate to get away from her, Lowri only let go when they neared the ground. She let go and rolled away from him. Lowri let out a hiss of relief when the cold snow got in contact with her burning stomach, probably burning from the Hydra weapon.

As Lowri straightened up, she looked down. The Hydra weapon had done more damage than she had expected. The shot had burnt a small hole in her suit and her skin was blistering. Her stomach was sore to touch but she dropped her hands and moved on.

"Any more for me, Stark?" Lowri asked as she turned on her tail and run up a slope in the forest and threw herself into the air.

The moment of free flying was short-lived. Another guard with a jet pack dove down on her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, trapping her own arms. He tugged her further into the air with him, twisting her body harshly. There wasn't much she could do, so she summoned her fire once more and heated herself up to become unbearable to touch.

The man had no idea what she was doing because no flames were present but she was unbearably hot to touch.

The man cried out in pain when he realised what she was doing. He dropped his arms from around her and she fell, she summoned her fire and flew up level with him, immediately she kicked out his flying gear and he dropped to the floor, he landed on his feet with a tumble and he swiftly pulled out his gun.

The man took aim but before he could take the shot, he was thrown backwards into a tree and he collapsed and fell at the base of the tree, thanks to Thor and his hammer.

Thor nodded at Lowri and spun his hammer, then he shot off into the air.

" _Shit_!" Tony cursed over comms.

Lowri dodged another flying solider and booted him from the sky, melting his flying gear as she flew past so he fell to the floor and was taken out by an angry Bruce.

" _Language_!" Steve put in quickly. " _Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?_ " Steve asked.

Lowri noticed a tank rumbling straight for Nat and Clint and she immediately set it on fire and it burned intensely from the inside. She flew off swiftly and her eyes caught onto one of the smaller sentry posts, dug into the ground and partly covered over, it was shooting blue beams out.

" _The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield, Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken._ " Jarvis replied.

" _Loki's sceptre must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defence without it. At long last._ " Thor said, he sounded relieved, like a massive weight was lifted from his shoulders. Finding the sceptre was the goal he had set when he arrived back on Earth all those months ago.

Lowri silently agreed with her as she spun on a large group of soldiers rushing at her. A brief image crossed her eyes and she was sucked back into late 1945, in the cold, cold Russian forests.

She was in a similar forest, snow all around them and still falling, the trees were reaching high into the sky. She was with different companions though, none were millionaires, Gods, or skilled assassins, they were simply men fighting for their country. They were still taking down Hydra bases but this time, technology was far behind and there was a lot more bourbon involved.

Lowri was snapped out of her dream and back into reality by a man taking a swing for her. She blocked the hit and swept his legs from underneath him. Before she could deliver the knockout hit, another man was almost on top of her with another hit.

She blocked this one too and hit him in the face, upwards to break his nose and she crouched on her knees and in one single move knocked the guy out at her feet.

Lowri rolled away and down a slope from the rest of the men and darted to her feet as she reached the end of the slope.

" _At long last is lasting a little long, guys._ " Nat put in smoothly.

" _Yeah, I think we lost the element of surprise._ " Clint added.

Lowri ran along a path in the forest and dodged a low hanging branch which hit a few of the men closely following her.

"Who needs the element of surprise anyway?" Lowri asked, her words came out breathy. "It's always best for your enemies to see you before they fall."

" _You read too much._ " Clint put in almost straight away. Lowri rolled her eyes and then ducked when she sensed another man behind her. He toppled over her and Lowri dashed off quickly.

"That's not from a book. That's experience, mate." Lowri replied with a smirk. She could practically see Clint scoff at her relaxed wording.

" _Wait a second. No one is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said "_ Language _"?"_ Tony asked. Lowri smiled at Tony's words. She hadn't actually noticed it.

" _I know_." Steve sighed. The same man that had been pursuing Lowri for some time was still behind her but now he was shooting at her. She dropped to the floor in hopes of confusing him again but he seemed a bit more alert now so she pulled out her rarely used handgun and shot him in the shoulder, as he fell, dropping his own gun in the process, she shot him in the knee.

"Stop following me." Lowri hissed before moving on.

" _It just slipped out._ " Steve added.

A blue shot narrowly missed her and she stopped short of a man wielding a Hydra weapon, facing her. She shot up her fire shield and the man stepped back in alarm. He fired a testing shot at the fire wall and was disappointed when the Hydra weapon turned out to be useless.

Lowri threw a fireball in his direction when he was distracted and she ran off.

" _Clint_!" Nat yelped. Lowri felt a twist in her gut. Was Clint hurt seriously? Was he hurt at all?

" _We have an Enhanced on the field._ " Steve reported.

Lowri stopped for a short moment and was promptly shot at so she sent up her fire wall and immediately she heard a sharp hiss and a yelp.

She looked down, a young man was on his ass in front of her, he had very light, almost platinum blonde hair and sunken eyes, almost familiar, and he wore ragged running clothes. He looked up at her with wide and scared eyes, and the look made Lowri lower the firewall.

Where the hell had he come from?

The young man was on his feet in a blink of an eye and was gone from her sight within a second.

"Enhanced is male, young, maybe 20-25. He's extremely fast. Watch out guys."

" _Clint's hit._ " Nat said urgently. There was a slight pause. " _Can someone deal with that bunker_?" There was another pause. " _Thank you._ "

Lowri jumped over a man in front of her that had a gun aimed at her head and she quickly broke his shooting arm. She shoved the man away from her and moved on.

" _Stark, we really need to get inside._ " Steve insisted. Lowri had eventually shaken off all of the men following her. She slowed to a stop and tried to catch her breath.

Lowri heard close gunfire and she darted behind a tree as a spray of bullets scattered the snow where she had just stood. She peered around and spied more shooters, she tossed multiple fire balls in their direction.

" _I'm closing in._ " Tony reported.

Lowri dashed off as the shooters became disorientated with the fire and she shot off into the air. She looped back into the shooters and shot a long stream of fire at them before flying away. She landed near to where Steve was, who was now without his motorcycle. He was stood alone, having just taken down a man. Steve looked up at her when she landed and his expression changed from warmness from seeing her again to seriousness when he became alert.

"Get down!" Steve yelled at her. He crouched and stilled his body as he drew back his arm holding his shield, Lowri threw herself to the ground and rolled away, seconds after the spot she had been stood in had blown up.

Steve flung his shield at the men behind her and she heard a hard thud and a cry of pain. Lowri stopped rolling and landed on her back, she glanced at the men, now all on the ground, and then she looked up at Steve.

He stepped up beside her, smiled and offered her his hand.

"Thanks." Lowri breathed as she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up with a firm grip. He released his hold on her and she brushed herself down from the snow.

"Any time." He answered cockily. She raised an eyebrow at him and he smirked. "Thought you were taking out the sentry towers anyway?"

Steve retrieved his shield by pressing the button on the end of his wrist that activated the magnetic field on his suit.

"I ran out of targets." She said smugly. Steve let out a breath, as if he was laughing. "I thought I'd go further afield for more."

" _The drawbridge is down, people._ " Tony reported almost happily.

Just ahead of Steve and Lowri, there was a thump, causing them both to turn around sharply and face the noise but they relaxed when they saw it was Thor landing on the ground hard, using his hammer to knock out numerous men around him.

Thor straightened up as Lowri and Steve took off at a jog towards him. Thor turned to face them with a serious look on his face.

"The Enhanced?" Thor asked.

"He's a blur." Steve said. "With all the new players we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't."

"He's fast. He ran into my fire wall and I got a good look. He looks familiar. At least, his eyes do. I've never seen him before. But I dread to think at what's happened to him to make him run that fast." Lowri said, both Steve and Thor looked at her.

"Do you think Strucker experimented on them?" Steve asked in a low tone. She shrugged her shoulders and raised both hands in a 'I don't know' gesture.

"I wouldn't put it past him and List. They're sadistic bastards." Lowri said, she noticed how Steve's eyebrows went up but he said nothing about her language.

" _Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac._ " Nat said over comms, she sounded panicked and she had a right to be. Her friend's life was on the line.

"I can get Barton to the jet." Thor answered. He turned to Steve and Lowri. "The sooner we're gone, the better. You two and Stark, secure the sceptre."

More men tramped over the brow of the hill in front of them and a looming tank breeched the hill.

"Copy that." Steve said, he glanced at Thor, who raised his hammer. Both seemed to know what to do. Steve looked back at her and wrapped an arm around her swiftly, he tugged her to him. "Hold onto me."

Lowry wrapped her arms around Steve's waist quickly and curved her body to better her grip on him. For a very brief moment, Lowri felt the beginning of a panic attack take hold but then she squashed that feeling deep down and she felt horrified with herself for feeling that, she was no longer scared of him.

"Looks like they're lining up." Thor mused as he tilted his head at the men rushing towards them, brandishing their weapons wildly, as if they had a hope of defeating a God, a living legend and a fire controlling mutant.

Steve raised his shield in an instant and braced on the ground while Lowri held onto him tightly. Being this closed to Steve set her on edge and that was only because they have had little physical contact since she recovered from that damn serum that almost killed her and him.

The last time that Thor and Steve had used the shield and hammer together like this, Lowri had been knocked into a tree and she fell unconscious for a good few hours. She didn't particularly want that to happen again, so she held on tightly to Steve.

"Well, they're excited." Steve noted as he angled is shield to cause the most effect. Thor brought his hammer down hard upon Steve's shield and the force that ricocheted from the shield ran in a straight line at the men running at them. Dust was thrown up into the air before the force knocked each and every man cleanly out, trees in close proximity to them were cut down and the tanks that had been rumbling along behind the men, crumpled where they were and a split came down the middle.

Lowri felt the jolt as the two weapons connected soar through her body and she had to tighten her grip on Steve to stop herself from being flung away from him. Her breathing came hard but she found herself comforted the closeness of the two of them. As Steve straightened up, she loosened her hold on him and dropped her arms from his waist, she stepped back with a blush slowly creeping up on her face.

"Find the sceptre." Thor ordered before he swung his hammer and flew off into the air to aid Clint. Steve turned around and spied Lowri with her head bowed.

"You're doing fine, Ri." Steve breathed out, he reached out and a placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up and looked into his eyes. Her cheeks were still burning but she found his eyes to be locked onto hers. Whenever she looks into his eyes, she finds that she loses herself in them and that's something she really can't help.

" _And for gosh sake, watch your language_!" Tony put in. At this, Steve looked down at the floor and sighed.

"That's not going away anytime soon." Steve sighed, Lowri cracked a smile and a small laugh passed her lips. She reached out and nudged his chest.

"You're doing fine, Steve." She said with a smile, there was a moment's pause as he looked back up into her eyes again. He seemed to remember where he was and what they were doing, slowly, he took his hands from her shoulder and glanced down at the ground, breaking eye contact with her. He looked back up again and gestured to the large castle standing just beyond the treeline.

"Shall we?" Steve asked invitingly.

Lowri looked up at the castle with a grin on her face, she turned back to him.

"We shall." She confirmed. She set off a run first, knowing full well that he could catch up with her very easily. As they ran, side by side, the castle loomed over them, the dark stone making it even more intimidating that what it already is.

* * *

 **Thank you to all who takes the time to read my story, I'm glad there's people out there who like them!**

 **I can't believe that this is the fourth story!**

 **As I mentioned in the last chapter of my previous book, I'm still interested in uploading a series of oneshots (chapters) based on Lowri's life before being Elizabeth Jones (Maybe one or two after she was Elizabeth Jones). It won't be out for a few months at least, but I'd like to know if anyone would be interested in reading them?**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Happy Tuesday my lovely readers! Though, this Tuesday is not as great as the others, Rest in Peace Stan Lee.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Find the sceptre." Thor ordered before he swung his hammer and flew off into the air to aid Clint. Steve turned around and spied Lowri with her head bowed._

 _"You're doing fine, Ri." Steve breathed out, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up and looked into his eyes. Her cheeks were still burning but she found his eyes to be locked onto hers. Whenever she looks into his eyes, she finds that she loses herself in them and that's something she really can't help._

 _"_ And for gosh sake, watch your language! _" Tony put in. At this, Steve looked down at the floor and sighed._

 _"That's not going away anytime soon." Steve sighed, Lowri cracked a smile and a small laugh passed her lips. She reached out and nudged his chest._

 _"You're doing fine, Steve." She said with a smile, there was a moment's pause as he looked back up into her eyes again. He seemed to remember where he was and what they were doing, slowly, he took his hands from her shoulder and glanced down at the ground, breaking eye contact with her. He looked back up again and gestured to the large castle standing just beyond the treeline._

 _"Shall we?" Steve asked invitingly._

 _Lowri looked up at the castle with a grin on her face, she turned back to him._

 _"We shall." She confirmed. She set off at a run first, knowing full well that he could catch up with her very easily. As they ran, side by side, the castle loomed over them, the dark stone making it even more intimidating that what it already is._

* * *

They entered the castle through a tunnel running directly underneath the castle, which Jarvis found. The tunnel ran from the treeline and right into the depths of the castle. Obviously, this tunnel had been designed and built as an escape route, there were tell-tale signs everywhere.

The tunnel's entrance was hidden by a curtain of vines dangling down in just the right away, Steve pulled back the vines to reveal the dark opening of the tunnel and it was as though this was the first-time light had seen the inside of the tunnel.

Lowri stepped in first, both of her hands were light on fire and held out in front of her, Steve protested to her going first but she only had to give him a look that told him to be quiet before he pressed his lips together.

Steve remained on the highest alert possible. Lowri was a little bit more relaxed but she as on edge by the time they reached a set of stairs made of stone, built into the side of the wall, leading right up into the castle.

There were huge trunks dotted along the edges of the room and it looked as though this room was for storage.

"Seems like they're planning something big." Steve said quietly as he picked up on some crudely written words on the side of one of the trunks.

"This place is creepy." Lowri breathed. She was scared to talk any louder. The cold air did nothing to ease her worry so she glanced around the room once more and her eyes settled on the stone staircase. "Let's go up there." She said, nodding towards the stairs.

Lowri led the way up the set of stone stairs silently, with her hands still lit but once she reached the top, she extinguished her hands and Steve pushed past her and disappeared through the door first.

They ended up on the first floor and it was dead around them.

"Where to now?" Lowri asked, more to herself than Steve. She stepped out behind him and she looked around at the empty halls. "Eerie."

Steve breathed out heavily as he began planning in his head. He looked up and down the halls and corridors warily.

"Are you okay with splitting up?" Steve asked, he looked down at her, his eyes searching hers quickly. "Or would you rather us stay and work together?"

Lowri bit down on her bottom lip as she thought about it but she kept her eyes on him.

"Would you mind terribly if I opted for us to stick together?" Lowri asked slowly. Her insides churned as she waited for his answer. She hated showing a weakness.

"It's absolutely fine, Ri." Steve said firmly. He understood Lowri all too well, he knew how she liked feeling top of her game on a mission and right now, Lowri's doing okay but it's not her best.

Steve stepped off first, grimacing as he took the first step but he tried to shake it off.

"What's the matter, Steve?" Lowri asked in a quiet voice as she followed him.

"My helmet is giving me a headache." Steve replied, just as quietly.

"Then take the helmet off." Lowri suggested. He turned his head back to share a smile with her and then he shed his helmet.

" _We're locked down out here._ " Nat said over comms.

"Then get to Banner. Time for a lullaby." Steve ordered. He led Lowri up another flight of steps silently and as they made to go through a large doorway but then he braced his shield arm suddenly and pushed forward hard. Unseen to her, a guard was passing and Steve had knocked him out.

Steve peered around the corner and spied something that he obviously didn't want Lowri to see. He pushed her back quickly, bracing his forearm against her chest. He stepped with her as he backed her up against the wall just behind her.

"Get back to the jet." Steve ordered under his breath. Lowri opened her mouth to protest against his orders and he pressed slightly harder. "I can handle myself here. Clint's been hit and he needs medical attention. Go."

Lowri scowled at him but as he released, her she turned from him and climbed up onto the nearest windowsill ledge. She glanced back at Steve but he had already turned from her and disappeared through the doorway.

She threw herself from the window and let her fire catch hold, she flew up into the air and scouted the area for the quin jet. Which she found about a mile or so away. Her eyes caught onto Bruce in his green monster form, he was busy ripping up trees from the roots and smashing the trunks to pieces. Please, let Nat be close by for a lullaby.

Lowri sped over the tops of the trees and she landed just outside the quin jet, where she knew Clint was inside, injured, and Thor was waiting anxiously for the news of the sceptre.

She stepped inside and ripped off her gloves. She scanned the room. Thor was near the exit, pacing. Clint was strapped into a stretcher balanced on top of the motorcycle storage/table. He was holding his side and trying not to groan in pain.

"Did you get the sceptre?" Thor asked urgently, he turned to her and concentrated on her solely. She shook her head at him.

"Steve sent me from the castle before we retrieved it. I'm sure he and Tony will get it." Lowri said firmly. She turned to Clint and offered him a small smile. "Right then, let's see to our patient then."

Lowri leant closer to Clint's side and inspected it. It was a burn. Much like the one that adorned her stomach for all of five minutes earlier that day. But, alas. Clint has a much slower healing rate.

She turned from Clint and headed into the right wing, where the advanced first aid kit was kept. She reached in and grabbed it, then returned to Clint. She balanced the kit on his shins and rummaged through. She came up with a vial of strong painkillers and set that to the side and she pulled out a bag of sterile water, she mixed the two up with the plans of feeding the diluted painkillers into the body via a drip.

"Thor, can you hold this please?" Lowri asked, holding up the bag of sterile water, now mixed with the painkillers. Thor stepped over and took hold of the bag, she moved his hands higher so the bag was higher. Lowri set up the drip and then worked on the entry point for the drip in Clint's inner elbow.

"I don't know how you cope with this pain, Ri." Clint grunted as she connected the drip to the tap in his arm and she switched it on. Lowri tugged the arm from within the table Clint lay on and hooked the bag onto it.

"I grunt and bear it. Besides, it's not the worst pain I've felt." Lowri said, she could see that the painkillers were already taking effect so she turned her attention to the actual injury.

It looked fairly bad, the skin was burnt away and it did look painful.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Clint asked, his voice seemed far away and slightly dreamy.

"Oh yeah, you're not gonna survive it." Lowri said with a straight face. He looked up but his eyes weren't focused on her. "Even the best plastic surgeon can't save that face."

Clint cracked a smile and then he dropped his head back onto the stretcher.

"This is gunna sting, I've gotta pour this water on you." Lowri said, she poured cold water on the wound and Clint hissed. She kept the wound until cold water for at least ten minutes.

"Thor, can you help me roll him over?" Lowri asked, calling out to Thor who was watching everything from the back of the jet. Thor stepped over and helped Lowri roll Clint over onto his good side so Lowri could wrap the burn in cling film and tape it down firmly.

"You're one brave man, Mr Barton." Lowri said softly as she helped Thor lower Clint back onto his back. "Do you need a drink?"

"No, I don't want a drink." Clint said, but he began looking pale.

"I don't care what you want." Lowri said, she grabbed a bottle of water from next to where the first aid kit had been and she poured a small sachet of sugar into the water. "Have a sip of this." Lowri said, she turned back to Clint as she popped a straw into the sugar water and offered it to him. But Clint refused and he shook his head at her. "Drink." Lowri ordered and this time, Clint took a sip. "Better?"

"A little." Clint answered. Lowri packed away the first aid kit and tried to make Clint comfortable and less likely to go into shock by popping two bags under his feet to prop them up.

"I won't say I told you so." Lowri said gently.

" _We have a second Enhanced. Female. Do not engage._ " Steve's voice rang out over the comms and he sounded serious. A few seconds later, Steve was back. " _Guys, I got Strucker._ "

" _Yeah, I got something bigger._ " Tony said, his voice was far away and as if he was shocked. " _Thor, I got eyes on the prize._ "

Lowri breathed out a sigh of relief when she heard that Tony had the sceptre. She shared a look with Clint, both were relived.

"Glad we got the sceptre, at least my injury isn't in vain." Clint said slowly.

Lowri nodded her head as Nat entered the jet with a worried look on her face. Immediately, Nat crossed to Clint and began fussing over him.

"How're you feeling, jerk-face?" Nat asked she approached Clint. Lowri knew that Nat was hiding her hurt and worry from Clint.

" _Anyone on the jet beside Barton?_ " Steve asked over comms. Lowri glanced back at Nat, but she was busy chatting with Clint to reply.

"I'm on the jet." Lowri replied.

" _Good. Call Hill and tell her about Strucker._ " Steve ordered. Lowri made her way to the cockpit and she slid into the seat beside the control panel.

Lowri moved to the edge of the seat as she pulled the screen towards her.

"Jarvis, can you get Maria on the horn, please?" Lowri asked as she adjusted the screen.

"Of course." Jarvis replied and then the screen lit up with the dialling screen.

The video chat connected and Maria appeared in front of Lowri on the screen, sitting at a table with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Jones." Maria greeted.

"Hill." Lowri replied.

Both women sounded stern, but they both knew that this was simply their way of greeting each other, both women cracked smiles and then Maria leant forward.

"What can I do for you?" Maria asked.

"Steve's got Strucker up in the castle. And we've got the sceptre." Lowri reported happily.

"That's good. Awesome. I'll get NATO over there and they can take care of Strucker. Bring the sceptre with you. I'm sure Thor will want to keep his eyes on it at all times." Maria said, she glanced down at her hands. "It's best not to have Strucker on the jet with you, who knows what Stark will do to the guy. Heck, who knows what _you_ will do to him."

"Hey. I've got more self-control than Tony." Lowri pointed out. There was a small thud behind her and Lowri turned her head, she spied Bruce walking in, now back in human form and he was pale and shaky.

"Yeah, but Stark wasn't the one injected with a serum made just for him that altered his memories into something completely different and horrible that took months to recover from and is still suffering from it." Maria reminded her. She typed furiously on her phone in front of her.

"Yeah, well, I can hold a grudge really well." Lowri said firmly. "Clint's been hurt. But I've got him on painkillers and I've wrapped him up."

"Nothing serious?" Maria asked, glancing up at the screen.

"No. He'll recover." Lowri replied.

"Good. Okay, NATO is on their way. Find out if Strucker is restrained or not, will you?" Maria asked.

"Will do." Lowri replied, she turned from the screen and pressed the button on her wrist. "Steve is Strucker restrained?"

" _Restrained and unconscious. He won't be making any trouble any time soon._ " Steve replied quickly. Lowri turned back to Maria with a smile.

"Restrained and knocked out." Lowri informed.

"Good. Tell Cap to get out of there. NATO is closing in. They'll get Strucker and any stragglers." Maria said, she glanced down at her phone again. "Hang on. I gotta go. Our mutual friend is calling."

Maria hung up quickly and Lowri turned from the screen.

"Steve, you can get out of there. NATO is on their way." Lowri said over comms.

" _Thanks. Meet on the jet._ " Steve replied.

As Lowri turned to face the rest of the group, Tony walked in, still dressed in his Iron Man suit but the mask was off so everyone could see the smug grin on his face. He held the sceptre in one hand and he passed it to Thor straight away, making one of his terrible jokes as he did so.

Lowri looked at the sceptre with resentment. The sceptre has only given her pain in the past and she still carries the scars to this day. Thor placed the sceptre into the glass case that he had brought with him and he placed it on the table just by the door.

"Finally." Thor said as he closed the case.

* * *

 **Thank you to all who takes the time to read my stories!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Tuesday my lovely readers!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"What can I do for you?" Maria asked._

 _"Steve's got Strucker up in the castle. And we've got the sceptre." Lowri reported happily._

 _"That's good. Awesome. I'll get NATO over there and they can take care of Strucker. Bring the sceptre with you. I'm sure Thor will want to keep his eyes on it at all times." Maria said, she glanced down at her hands. "It's best not to have Strucker on te jet with you, who knows what Stark will do to the guy. Heck, who knows what_ you _will do to him."_

 _"Hey, I've got more self-control than Tony." Lowri pointed out. There was a small thud behind her and Lowri turned her head, she spied Bruce walking in, now back in human form and he was pale and shaky._

 _"Yeah, but Stark wasn't the one injected with a serum made just for him that altered his memories into something completely different and horrible that took months to recover from and is still suffering from it." Maria reminded her. She typed furiously on her phone in front of her._

 _"Yeah, well, I can hold a grudge really well." Lowri said firmly. "Clint's been hurt. But I've got him on painkillers and I've wrapped him up."_

 _"Nothing serious?" Maria asked, glancing up at the screen._

 _"No. He'll recover." Lowri replied._

 _"Good. Okay, NATO is on their way. Find out if Strucker is restrained or not, will you?" Maria asked._

 _"Will do." Lowri replied, she turned from the screen and pressed the button on her wrist. "Steve, is Strucker restrained?"_

 _"_ Restrained and unconscious. He won't be making any trouble any time soon. _" Steve replied quickly. Lowri turned back to Maria with a smile._

 _"Restrained and knocked out." Lowri informed._

 _"Good. Tell Cap to get out of there. NATO is closing in. They'll get Strucker and any stragglers." Maria said, she glanced down at her phone again. "Hang on. I gotta go. Our mutual friend is calling."_

 _Maria hung up quickly and Lowri turned from the screen._

 _"Steve, you can get out of there. NATO is on their way." Lowri said over comms._

 _"_ Thanks. Meet on the jet. _" Steve replied._

 _As Lowri turned to face the rest of the group, Tony walked in, still dressed in his Iron Man suit but the mask was off so everyone could see the smug grin on his face. He held the sceptre in one hand and he passed it to Thor straight away, making one of this terrible jokes as he did so._

 _Lowri looked at the sceptre with resentment. The sceptre has only given her pain in the past and she still carries the scars to this day. Thor placed the sceptre into the glass case that he had brought with him and he placed it on the table just by the door._

 _"Finally." Thor said as he closed the case._

* * *

Steve was the last to make an appearance, he looked out of breath but happier than he has done in a long time. He still held his smile as he headed for Clint to check up on him.

Tony took the controls of the jet and got them into the air swiftly. Bruce took seat away from everyone else, listening to his classical music as he tried to get his body back to normal after the Code Green.

Lowri took a seat close by the cockpit and she could look out the window. Her feet were aching and the muscles in her calves needed to be stretched out but she was just happy enough to sit down. Her eyes caught onto Steve on the other end of the jet and her mind went wandering.

Why had Steve sent her away all of a sudden in the castle? What did he see?

Steve was on his feet, his back facing her and he was checking the drip attached to Clint's arm and Nat was watching carefully.

Thor was standing over the sceptre with his arms crossed and he was staring down at it, intent on keeping his eye on it at all times. Literally.

"Hey Banner, Dr Cho is on her way in from Seoul. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" Tony called out.

"Uhh, yeah. She knows her way around." Bruce called back.

"Thanks." Tony called out. "Tell her to prep everything. Barton's gonna need the full treatment." Tony added, this time talking to Jarvis.

"Very good, sir." Jarvis replied.

"Jarvis, take the wheel." Tony said as he pushed back away from the cockpit and he pushed himself off the chair.

"Yes, sir. Approach vector is locked." Jarvis said. Tony stepped off but he paused when he spied Lowri sitting by herself.

"Hey. What's up, Ri?" Tony asked, he fell into the seat beside her and nudged her shoulder with his, bringing her out of her half-trance.

"What? Oh, hi." She said, looking at him and blinking rapidly.

"Please tell me you weren't dreaming about Cap's muscles." Tony said as he settled back against the wall. "I think I'll need Barton back on his feet to shoot me with one of his arrows if you are."

"After spending more than three months wearing Captain America pyjamas while unconscious and conscious, I think I've had my fill." Lowri said, rolling her eyes at Tony.

"I admit, that was partly my fault." Tony said, he raised his hand and grinned cheekily at her.

"I'm pretty sure it was you, 100%." Lowri said, "You're a freaking billionaire and you made me wear Captain America merchandise. Until Nat stole your card and got me some normal clothes."

"Okay, okay. Fine. 100% my fault." Tony laughed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Stuff." Lowri replied.

"Come on, you can tell your god son." Tony said, "I still can't believe Dad did that."

Lowri laughed and looked up at Tony with a smile on her face.

"Your Dad was crazier than you, Tony." Lowri said, "I'm thinking about today, actually. When Steve and I got into the castle, everything was going great. We were working together but then, he sent me away, back to the jet. And I don't know why."

"Because he's Cap. He has his own motives, right?" Tony asked, he smiled at her. "Maybe he saw something that he knew you might not have liked. Maybe he protected you. That's what he does. Typical Cap."

"That was strangely nice of you, Tony." Lowri said slowly, she looked at him with a curious look in her eyes and he smiled in reply.

"I'm in a good mood. Anyway, I'll let you get back to dreamland." Tony said, "Just don't dream of Cap's muscles, alright?"

Tony got up and he tapped her shoulder familiarly before heading off in the direction of Thor and Steve, both of whom were now looking down at the sceptre.

Before Lowri could turn her gaze from the three men, she spied Tony gesture her way and she sighed before looking away.

Tony can never keep his mouth shut.

Lowri looked out of the window but she was on edge. She knew that if Tony had told Steve what she had said, then he'd be on his way over to talk her through it.

And she was right.

Steve stopped right in front of her and looked down at her with a worried look in his eyes. Lowri glanced up at him and offered him a small smile.

"You feeling alright, Ri?" Steve asked, hooking his thumbs through his belt loops and leaning back slightly. His smile was soft and warm at the same time. Lowri liked his smile.

"I'm fine, Steve." Lowri said softly. Steve looked relieved for a moment and then he took a seat beside her. Their legs brushed as Steve settled back and she felt a blush creep onto her face.

"My feet were killing me." Steve sighed as he leant back.

"It's been a hard day, eh?" Lowri asked, laughing gently.

"Oh, yes. I'm glad that all of this is over now." Steve said, "But, Tony's throwing a party this Saturday."

Lowri pulled a face and groaned.

"That's not going to end well." Lowri said, "I like to consider myself a veteran of Stark parties."

Steve laughed and he leant back against the wall but he kept his eyes on her.

"So, did you ask Tony for advice?" Steve asked slowly.

"I would never ask Tony for advice." Lowri said firmly.

"It's just… Tony just mentioned something to me just now…" Steve trailed off and Lowri quickly snapped up the pause.

"I told Tony that I was confused, that's all." Lowri said gently, she looked away from Steve and her eyes settled on Clint, lying on the table and dozing off. Nat wasn't at his side though, she was sitting rather close to Bruce.

"What are you confused about, Ri?" Steve asked as a serious look came onto his face.

Lowri looked back at him and for a second, her eyes searched his but then she dropped her eyes to her lap and she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Why did you send me away when we were in the castle?" Lowri asked, she looked back up at him. "What did you see?"

"Strucker." Steve answered straight off. Lowri's eyes widened at the sound of the name but she kept her calm. "I didn't want you to see him. I didn't know what you would do once you saw him, I mean, you might have relapsed. And you're doing so well."

Lowri glanced down at her hands in her lap and a smile came onto her face.

"Thank you, Steve." She breathed. She looked up and reached out one of her hands, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "Thank you. I'm not too sure what would have happened either. I don't think I've ever seen him when I've been conscious."

"I'm sure that you would have freaked out on him." Steve laughed, "And then you would have freaked out on me because I would have stepped in to try and stop you and we've been down that road before, and we both know how that turns out."

Steve looked down at their hands and he smiled.

"Well, I can promise you now that I will never ever freak out on you again." Lowri said with a smile, "Unless you do something that requires me to freak out on you."

Steve gripped her hand tighter, lifted her hand up, he clasped her hand in both of his and squeezed gently.

"What?" Lowri asked, she eyed him carefully and a smile grew on her face.

"I like it when you're like this." Steve said softly.

"Like what?" Lowri asked, she kept her eyes on him.

"When you don't hold out on me." Steve said slowly, "It's like how we used to be."

"Oh, just kiss already!" Nat yelled from across the jet. Lowri caught sight of a smirk from the Russian before she turned back to Bruce.

Steve flushed slightly and he looked away from Lowri but she saw the blush.

"Are you blushing?" She asked with a smile. Steve looked back up at her and nodded as he shrugged his shoulders. "I thought we were past this?" She asked teasingly.

"Evidently not." Steve confirmed.

Lowri smiled and she looked at their hands, she felt much more comfortable as herself now that the serum that Hydra had made just for her was finally out of her system and she was passed all the side effects.

"It's exhausting when I hold back." Lowri admitted. She looked up at him and a small smile came onto her lips. "I never intentionally did either. It was like, a battle going on inside my head and I couldn't distinguish between the two of them." Lowri caught sight of the look on Steve's face. "But it's not like that anymore."

It had taken Lowri a full month for her to be able to look at him without flinching from fear, she still saw those Hydra images in her head now, months later. It took her a further two months for her to stop referencing him as 'he' or 'him'. That was almost six months ago and Steve has always been careful around her.

Lowri admired Steve for that and for his never-ending patience.

She and Steve were still chatting as the jet landed in the Tower. Steve released her hand and stood up as Tony began to lock down the cockpit and as Clint was surrounded by Dr Cho and her team and then rolled off, with Nat following behind shortly.

"Lab's all set up, boss." Maria called out as she stepped into the jet.

Lowri slowly got to her feet and brushed herself down. She looked up and locked eyes on Steve, who was facing her with a smile on his face.

"Oh, actually, he's the boss." Tony said, pointing to Steve, who had his back to Tony because he was looking at Lowri, Steve turned around and looked at Tony. "I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

"You wish." Lowri quipped.

"I saw you holding hands with gramps." Tony said, pointing a finger in their direction. Lowri rolled her eyes and Steve chuckled. He stepped over with Maria beside him.

"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked.

"You're so observant, Tony." Lowri replied with a smirk, she stepped closer to Tony. "You could have kept your mouth shut."

"One of my many quirks." Tony remarked as Lowri stepped off after Steve and Maria.

Steve and Maria headed down the ramp and rounded the corner, heading through the locker room.

"The two Enhanced?" Steve asked as Lowri caught up with them, they rounded a corner and headed for the elevator, just through the small locker room.

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins." Maria stated, she passed over the tablet she held over to Steve and he swiped over. "Orphaned at the age of ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia has had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"Their abilities?" Steve asked, he looked at Maria but then as Lowri approached, he looked at her and passed over the tablet so she could have a look.

There was footage of a young man and a young woman protesting and there was a bombed-out building. The young man looked exactly like the one she saw in the forest earlier that day.

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing." Maria replied. She spied the blank looks. "Telekinesis, mental manipulation." There were more blank looks. "He's fast and she's weird."

"Weird, as in able to move things with her mind? And change things too?" Lowri asked, she got a nod from Maria. "They got their abilities from Strucker and Doctor List?" Lowri asked, looking up from the tablet.

"Yes." Maria said, "All the intel that Stark got indicates that it was the sceptre and some of your DNA that gave them their abilities."

"My DNA?" Lowri asked. "My DNA was used in those experiments?" She was appalled.

She turned away from Maria and Steve, she faced the elevator and pressed the button, shuddering inwardly.

"They're gonna show up again." Steve said as the elevator arrived and the doors opened. Lowri quickly stepped in and Steve got in beside her.

"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts." Maria said.

"Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" Steve asked jokingly. Lowri quickly looked up at him with her mouth open to protest.

"We're not at war, Captain." Maria said carefully.

"They are." Steve said seriously as the elevator doors closed on them. Lowri leant back on the wall of the elevator and looked up at the ceiling.

"Like hell are you a monster." She began, she felt his eyes on her and she wanted to stop talking but she didn't. "There's only one monster in this lift and it's sure as hell not you."

There was a silence that hung in the air between them like a knife.

"And I don't think the Maximoff twins are monsters either. They're young, scared and easily moulded. They don't know what they're doing or what the consequences are for their actions." She added, just to kill the silence.

"So, you think there's hope for them?" Steve asked.

"Of course. There's hope for anyone who's been in Hydra's clutches." Lowri said, "They just need a little disciplining." She pulled at the neckline of her suit and groaned quietly.

"The suits can get a bit much, eh?" Steve asked, the elevator dinged as it reached Lowri's floor and she pushed herself from the wall. "I don't think you're a monster, Ri."

Lowri pulled up short in the doorway of the elevator and she turned her head to look at him.

"The difference between you and me, Steve, is that you can control yourself. I can't because I don't know where this came from." Lowri said, she stepped out of the elevator and disappeared into her room.

Lowri still had the tablet from Maria, so after she showered and dressed in comfy clothes and fixed herself something to drink, she sat on the couch overlooking the impressive looking city and read through the reports.

What Maria said was right, when Strucker and List gave her that injection, they'd also taken DNA samples from her, enough to experiment with several times it seems before getting the right mixture to bring out all sorts of powers in different people.

"Hey, Lowri?" Lowri looked up at whoever was standing in front of her and found it was Steve. "Have you eaten?"

"What? No, I don't think I have." Lowri answered, she put the tablet aside and looked up at Steve as he spotted the glass tumbler beside her on the couch. He picked up the glass quickly and sniffed it.

"Whisky?" Steve asked, a slight smile came onto his face.

"Bourbon, actually." Lowri said, she got to her feet and took the glass tumbler off Steve. "And I wasn't hungry when I fixed this drink. But I am rather peckish now."

"Well, that's a good thing. Tony's ordered pizza. They're eating in Bruce's lab now. I came to find you because you were missing. Clint's alright now." Steve said.

"I was looking at the tablet Maria gave us. It turns out that Strucker and List used my DNA in loads of experiments to get the right mixture of something that kick starts the mutation process." Lowri said, "It's a lot of information."

"Strucker can't do that to anyone anymore." Steve said firmly, he sat down beside her and his eyes searched hers.

"I know. But, Strucker's taken a part of me to experiment with and to make someone entirely new." Lowri said. "I can't get my head around it."

Steve took the tablet from her hands and turned it off, he turned back to her and held both her hands in his own, making her look him in the eyes.

"Strucker can't hurt you anymore." Steve said firmly, he pulled her hands closer to him gently. "I won't let that happen anymore."

Lowri ducked her eyes.

"I just feel violated." She said slowly, "These kids, they're like a part of me now."

"We'll tackle them when we get to it, but right now, you need some food." Steve said, he got to his feet and he pulled her up with him. He dropped one of her hands and then began pulling her to the elevator.

"Wait, my drink." Lowri said, looking back at her tumbler with a little bit of bourbon left.

"You can have it later. It'll still be there when you come back." Steve said, he pulled her though the door and into the waiting elevator and up to the main floor where the labs were based.

There were four different pizzas all spread out on the floor with everyone else on the floor too, even Clint who was now fully healed.

All Tony could talk about was the party, he was definitely more excited for it than everyone else. He instructed everyone that they could invite whoever they wanted.

"You can even invite the oldies, Ri." Tony said, looking at her. Lowri looked up from her pizza and pulled a face.

"Sorry to kill the mood but most of my old friends are either six feet under or stuck in a nursing home." Lowri said.

"Wow." Nat said slowly. "You know how to kill a party."

"That's my job." Lowri said with a smile.

Since Thor was staying for the party, Tony and Bruce managed to work it out with him so that they could run a few tests on the sceptre, to see what Strucker had done with the sceptre.

As the hours dragged on, Lowri felt the time weighing her down and all she wanted to do was sleep so, she excused herself and headed back for the elevator with Clint calling out that she was old.

All she wanted was to lay back in her bed and relax. Her body was still sore for the numerous hits it took earlier that day.

Regardless of how sore she was, Lowri was back in the gym early the next day and the day after that, determined to get stronger.

* * *

 **Thank you to all who has read my stories!**

 **I will update next week :)**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy Tuesday all! Firstly, massive apologies for not updating last week, I was away for most of Tuesday and Wednesday!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _There were four different pizzas all spread out on the floor with everyone else on the floor too, even Clint who was now fully healed._

 _All Tony could talk about was the party, he was definitely more excited for it than everyone else. He instructed everyone that they could invite whoever they wanted._

 _"You can even invite the oldies, Ri." Tony said, looking at her. Lowri looked up from her pizza and pulled a face._

 _"Sorry to kill the mood but most of my friends are either six feet under or stuck in a nursing home." Lowri said._

 _"Wow." Nat said slowly. "You know how to kill a party."_

 _"That's my job." Lowri said with a smile._

 _Since Thor was staying for the party, Tony and Bruce managed to work it out with him so that they could run a few tests on the sceptre, to see what Strucker had done with the sceptre._

 _As the hours dragged on, Lowri felt the time weighing her down and all she wanted to do was sleep so, she excused herself and headed back for the elevator with Clint calling out that she was old._

 _All she wanted was to lay back in her bed and relax. Her body was still sore for the numerous hits it took earlier that dat._

 _Regardless of how sore she was, Lowri was back in the gym early the next day and the day after that, determined to get stronger._

* * *

On Saturday night, Lowri found herself standing in front of the full length Victorian style mirror in her room, looking at herself and wondering if tonight was really necessary.

She had made an effort to look nice just because she was just as relieved as everyone else to have finally captured the sceptre.

But she hates dressing up. She felt naked in her dress. She hadn't even chose it. Pepper did. Before she left for wherever she was going this time, she gave Lowri a dress cover and told her it was for the next party. Which is now.

The dress was pretty in itself, it's a pretty nude colour that brings out her pale skin better and it brings out her eyes, the dress reached just above her knees but it was sleeveless. It had been treated with a fireproof chemical so that gave Lowri a bit of security but she still felt exposed.

She had white kitten heels on and her hair was in a long plait which was then twisted back into an elegant bun, she had applied minimal make-up, focusing more on her eyes to make them pop.

Lowri didn't really feel like she was in the party mood but she knew that if she didn't move soon then she would have Tony knocking down her door and dragging her upstairs kicking and screaming.

She had to suck it up and get moving.

The music was already blasting through the tower and it only got louder as she headed up in the elevator. The doors opened up to reveal the few early partygoers and the first thing Lowri did was headed to the bar to order a very strong drink in hopes of taking off the edges.

The bartender didn't blink as she ordered her rather strong drink and he turned away to pour the multiple shots into the one glass.

"Getting ready to brave everyone?" Steve asked in her ear, Lowri turned to face him, a smile growing on her face. She leant back against the counter, arching her back slightly as she looked at him. He wore a dark blue fitted button up shirt which was almost hidden by his medium brown leather jacket and smart pants.

"Just something to take the edge off." She replied smoothly. "You look very smart there, Steve." She said, smiling up at him.

"Thank you." Steve said, he took a step backwards and smiled warmly at her before gesturing at her with one hand. "And you look very beautiful tonight. As you do every other day and night I see you."

Lowri felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she felt her elbow being tapped gently.

"Your drink, ma'am." The bartender said slowly.

Lowri thankfully turned away from Steve and wrapped her hand around the small tumbler with a straw sticking out from the ice.

"A beer, please." Steve asked the bartender before stepping up to the counter beside Lowri and he leant closer to her. "I thought we were past blushing?" He asked knowingly.

"Evidently not." She confirmed, she leant back and he let out a laugh as he took the beer that was offered to him. "Cheers." Lowri said, they tapped drinks and each took a sip before turning to face the growing party.

"How do you think tonight will go? You're the veteran of Tony's parties." Steve asked, turning his attention to her.

"Slow and very testing at first." Lowri said, she turned her head and looked up at him. "Then once everyone knows that Tony gets destructive when he's drunk, they'll pester him until he destroys things and then it goes downhill."

Lowri spied the veteran soldiers coming out of the elevator, looking around at the huge room.

"Then again, I don't think this lot might be interested in destroying things as much." Lowri said.

"No. I don't think so either." Steve chuckled. He took another sip of his beer.

"I don't get why Tony is throwing this party. They never end well." Lowri said slowly.

"Revels." Steve replied.

"Well, look who's having a conversation without any drama." Came a familiar voice, Lowri looked up and spied a smiling Sam Wilson. "Alright, Scorch?"

"Hi, Sam." Lowri said, smiling at him.

"It's nice to see you're not attacking Cap again." Sam continued.

"Yeah… that hasn't happened for a few months." Lowri said, she glanced up at Steve and smiled.

"Yeah, no more 'freak outs'." Steve added with a smirk.

"Hey man, thanks for inviting me." Sam said, looking at Steve.

"No problem, told you, you're a friend." Steve said, smiling warmly at Sam.

"How're you feeling now?" Sam asked, looking at Lowri.

"Like I don't wanna be here." Lowri answered. Both men snapped their attention to her quickly and she shrugged her shoulders. "Last time I was at one of Tony's parties, he got so drunk that he started blowing things up in the middle of the party and then he peed in his suit."

"What?" Steve asked sharply.

"Oh, I wish that I had been there to see that!" Sam laughed.

"And to top it all off, Tony and Rhodey got into a fight, Rhodey stole one of Tony's suits and they destroyed his Malibu home. Then, Rhodey flew off and got the weapons supplier for the military to kit the suit out." Lowri added.

"And they're still friends?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"Surprisingly so." Lowri said, "It's a destructive friendship."

"How long ago was this?" Steve asked.

"About four, five years ago." Lowri answered.

"What was your role in that party?" Sam asked. Lowri narrowed her eyes at him. "Like, why were you there?"

"Shadow agent." Lowri said, "Tony didn't exactly know who I was at that point. Only that I saved his life. It was after the party that he actually found out who I was." Lowri said.

"A friend of his fathers." Sam said.

"And God Mother." Lowri added with an awkward look.

"No way." Sam laughed, "You're his God Mother?"

Lowri nodded her head slowly and took another sip of her drink. There were more guests surrounding them now that the party was in full swing.

"Hey, dude, fancy a game of pool?" Sam asked, nudging Steve's arm and he nodded towards the free pool table in the centre of the room.

Steve glanced down at Lowri straight away but then he looked back at Sam.

"Sure." Steve said, he looked back down at Lowri. "Will you be alright if I go, Ri?"

"I'm not going to have a breakdown when you go, Steve." Lowri said gently. She smiled at him. "I can handle Tony's parties. Go. Go have fun." She said, she pushed at him with her free hand.

Steve went off with Sam, both with smiles on their faces. Lowri smiled as soon as she saw Steve's smile. She liked his smile.

Lowri didn't have much chance to feel lonely because as soon as Steve and Sam left, Maria appeared at Lowri's side with a smile on her face.

"Oh, you're almost out of your drink. Let me order you another one." Maria said, she leant across the counter and ordered herself a drink and another for Lowri. "You can't get drunk, can you?" Maria asked, Lowri shook her head and Maria turned back to the bartender. "Give her the strongest drink you got."

"That won't touch me, you know." Lowri said, she downed the rest of her drink and placed her glass on the counter.

"How many shots were in that?" Maria asked.

"I think like five." Lowri said, she shrugged her shoulders. "Still wasn't enough to make me feel the slightest bit tipsy."

"So, I wanna ask you a question." Maria began, Lowri already had an idea of what the question would be. "Why were you and Cap holding hands on the jet?"

"Because we were." Lowri replied, she took hold of the glass offered to her and sipped. "Mm. Doesn't taste too bad, actually."

"Oh, come on, don't you wanna talk about it? It's not every day that you two hold hands." Maria insisted.

"I know it's not. But when you get you and Sam within five minutes commenting on us, and Nat yelling out on the jet to kiss already, it's tedious." Lowri said, "It would be nice for Steve and I to have a moment where there's no prying eyes."

"Guilty." Maria said, she chuckled. "It's baby steps."

Maria walked off with her drink, with an intention to chat to people and Lowri milled about and eventually she found herself with the Veterans all sat on one of the lower levels.

"Were you all there in Italy in 1943?" Lowri asked as she smiled around the group.

"Not all of us, but a few." One of them replied. "I think it was those three over there as well as me."

"I can remember how you spoke to us boys." Another said, "Very strict!"

"Well, we were at war." Lowri said sheepishly. "I didn't intend to intimidate anyone, honestly."

"You didn't intimidate me. I was glad to see a woman on the frontline to keep us boys in check." Another Veteran said, making Lowri smile.

"Good. Howard Stark always said that I tended to intimidate people." Lowri said, "I'm glad that some of you weren't scared of me."

Lowri looked around the large group of Veterans and she was hit with the feeling of nostalgia. She missed fighting for the life she wanted to build. She missed fighting to save the earth from extremists.

On one of the balconies above them, overlooking the seated area where Lowri was sat, she spied Sam and Steve talking, having finished their pool game.

Steve looked down at the exact time that Lowri looked up and their eyes locked as Steve spoke to Sam.

"In ways, you gave us boys some courage to fight, seeing you so close to the front line. And we heard about your trip to Austria, word flew about the camp." Another man said, Lowri looked away from Steve and looked back at the men.

"I'm glad of that. I'm proud of us all for defeating Hitler. Only God knows what sort of country we'd be living in right now if we had lost." Lowri said.

"Ay, imagine that?" Another asked.

"If you'd excuse me, gentlemen." Lowri said, she got to her feet and took up her empty glass. "I'm in need of another drink."

She righted her dress and she glanced up at Steve before she turned and walked towards the bar. She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked away.

Lowri's limbs felt looser and she was sure that she was warming to the party. Everyone was having fun and letting go for the night. It's a Saturday, they might as well. She had yet to see Tony but she had a sneaky suspicion that he was already drunk.

She ordered herself another drink and leant on the counter as she closed her eyes just to listen to her surroundings.

"Here you go, ma'am." The bartender said, breaking her out of her small trance as he slid a small glass of about five shots towards her.

"Thank you." Lowri said, she took up the drink and took a sip before she turned around to head back over to the group of Veterans with her new drink in her hand but then she collided with pure muscle and a pair of blue eyes that she rather liked.

"Oh!" She yelped as her drink splashed over the glass and onto her hand. She hastily turned and placed her glass on the counter and licked at her hand. "Didn't see you there." She said, looking up at him.

"My fault." Steve said quickly, he reached out the counter and plucked a few napkins out of the box. "Here." He said, he gripped her wrist and dabbed at her hand with the napkins but his eyes shot to hers instantly. "You're cold." He stated seriously.

His face changed from slight embarrassment to worry straight away, he dropped her hand and he dropped the napkins onto the counter behind her. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

"You never get cold." Steve said as Lowri slipped her arms through the arm holes and she hugged the jacket to her, revelling in the warmth from his body heat.

"It's a new occurrence." Lowri admitted. She looked up at him sheepishly and she found her eyes drawn to the shirt that was tight across his chest, showing off his muscles almost perfectly. The jacket had hidden his blue shirt, which suited him very well, but it did cling to him. She dropped her gaze almost instantly, mostly to stop herself from staring.

"Why haven't you told anybody?" Steve asked, he gripped her upper arms and rubbed them gently, drawing her closer.

"Because it's a new experience to me." Lowri said slowly, she looked back up at him and into his eyes. "I haven't felt the cold since winter 1835." She breathed out.

Steve looked at her with wonder and then he dropped his hands and leant across her to order her a new drink.

He turned back to her as she grabbed the napkins again and dried off her hand.

"What were you talking to the veterans about?" Steve asked as he leant back against the counter.

"Italy 1943." Lowri said, "Seems like some of them were there with us and some remember the Austria adventure."

"Some of them were there?" Steve asked, he raised his eyebrows and looked over at the group of veterans.

"Were you jealous?" Lowri asked, she smiled as Steve jerked his attention back to her. "Is that why you came down here and spilled my drink?"

Steve seemed flustered and he struggled to get his words out so Lowri began speaking again.

"It's alright if you're jealous, Steve." She continued.

"What if I just wanted to talk to you again?" Steve asked quickly.

Lowri raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest, which proved difficult because of the long sleeves covering her hands.

"Oh really?" Lowri asked jokingly. "You were jealous."

Steve looked down at his feet and she knew he was hiding his blush.

"What if I am?" Steve asked, he looked up at her. His eyes connected with hers and for a brief moment, she was taken back to 1942 when she first looked into his eyes.

"I'd tell you that there's no need for you to be jealous. Because…" Lowri said, she smiled at him and then licked her bottom lip. "Look who's jacket I'm wearing."

Lowri turned and grabbed her drink and then she headed over to the seats where Rhodey was standing with a group of people around him.

He was telling an animated story, using his hands and arms in big gestures as the people in front of him listened avidly.

"I fly right up to the General's palace, I drop it at his feet, I'm like 'Boom. You looking for this?'" Rhodey finished off the story with a flourish and crossed his arms as his audience burst into laughter.

"He's already tried that story on me, Stark and Thor and it didn't go too well." Maria said into Lowri's ear. Lowri turned from Rhodey and his posse, then she stepped off with Maria. "And lookie here, you're even wearing Cap's jacket."

Lowri looked at Maria with one of her 'no nonsense; looks and Maria put her up her hands jokingly.

"Steve spilled my drink. Then he realised I was cold so he gave me his jacket. Completely innocent." Lowri said firmly.

"Cute." Maria said, she smirked at Lowri and then took a seat on the free bench just by the stairs. She let out a sigh as she sat down. "Ahh. My feet are absolutely killing me."

Lowri sat down beside Maria as Maria pulled off her shoes and massaged her feet.

"It's only been what, two hours at the most? There's another five guaranteed and then once everyone else has gone home, that's when the real fun begins." Lowri said with a smirk.

"Have you seen these heels?" Maria asked, gesturing towards the incriminating objects lying discarded on the floor.

"I'm sure you wear similar shoes now that you're working for Tony." Lowri commented.

"I get to sit down during the non-busy hours." Maria pointed out. "But damn, these shoes are named correctly. Killer heels indeed. Give me those boots I used to wear."

"I know how you feel." Lowri said, "But, this is why you wear reasonable heels." She gestured to her own reasonable heels before she leant back and took another sip of her drink.

"Did I hear you say that there's another five hours guaranteed?" Maria asked as she rubbed her feet.

"Guaranteed. And then the fun will begin." Lowri said. "I can see myself falling asleep under a table."

Maria let out a laugh and then she leant back in her seat before taking a sip of her drink.

"How are those cuffs working out for you?" Maria asked as she glanced down at Lowri's wrists where the black thick cuffs ordained her forearms.

"Really well." Lowri admitted. She looked down at her wrists too. "I have more accuracy and I think I can control it better than before. Where did you get them from?" Lowri asked.

"Our old friend." Maria said simply, she looked up at Lowri and their eyes locked. Instantly, Lowri knew.

"That old friend." Lowri said slowly. "I think I knew who's work these were but I needed to double check."

Maria nodded her head slowly and they quickly turned the conversation from their mutual friend and onto Maria's job in Tony's company and then they talked about Lowri's current job, though that's gone now. It's time for Lowri to settle down onto something new.

Lowri and Maria were on the bench for over an hour, mostly talking about what Lowri could do now that Hydra and the sceptre were dealt with.

Maria eventually got up, with her killer heels back on her feet, to get the next round of drinks in and as soon as Maria had walked off, Steve passed by with a smile on his face, then he stopped and turned back to her.

"Do you wanna get some air?" Steve asked, he held out his hand and Lowri abandoned her glass, took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"You read my mind." Lowri said as Steve weaved through the crowds, pulling her with him. "Where are we going?"

Steve waited until they were free of the guests before he turned back and smiled.

"The roof." He pulled her to the elevator and pressed the button, keeping his grip on her. "I thought it would be nice to escape for a little bit, get some fresh air. Besides, it looked as though Maria was interviewing you a few times."

"She was." Lowri said as the elevator doors opened and they both stepped in, Steve quickly pressed the roof button and the doors slid closed. "But just now we were talking about my retirement."

Steve smiled at her and squeezed her hands gently as he pulled her closer.

"Retirement? What, you're getting too old now to keep on working?" Steve teased her.

"Not all of us gets seventy years' worth of rest." Lowri smirked, Steve widened his eyes at her and chuckled.

"You didn't just use the ice card." Steve laughed.

"I never said anything about ice." Lowri pointed out. "But I think now is the time for me to retire and find a nice little hobby that doesn't involve aliens or any agent work or secret organisations."

"That's a good point." Steve said, he looked down at the floor of the elevator and the smile slipped off his face.

"What is?" Lowri asked, she stepped closer again and squeezed his hand.

"That we're no long tied to S. H. I. E. L. D. and this, the Avengers working together. The world is no longer under threat." Steve said, he looked back up at her and dropped her hand.

"We can do whatever we want to do." Lowri said quickly. "There's nothing wrong with that. The world is at peace."

The elevator stopped and then the doors opened, letting in the breezy draft and they stepped out of the elevator and out onto the rooftop.

"I don't know what I can do now that S. H. I. E. L. D. is definitely over and now that there's no need for the Avengers to stay and fight. Ever since I woke up, all I've known is S. H. I. E. L. D. and now that's gone. I don't know what to do." Steve said, his eyes were full of hurt as he spoke and her heart reached for him.

Lowri took hold of his hand and guided him away from the elevator and onto a bench.

"You can do whatever the hell you want." Lowri said firmly. She sat down on the bench beside him and clasped his hand in her two hands on her lap. "Ever since the war, all I've done is work my ass off for S. H. I. E. L. D. I started it up and now it's gone. And I know I can't go back to what I did before the wars, I'm too well known. But I know something will come up again."

"We'll do it together, eh?" Steve asked. Lowri smiled at him.

"Yeah. Together. Because I don't want to do this alone again." Lowri said, she scooted closer to Steve and leant her head on his shoulder as his free hand went around her back and held her to him.

After a minute or so of comfortable silence, Steve pulled back and looked down at her.

"What did you do before the war, Ri?" Steve asked.

Lowri sat back and dropped his hand as she looked up at him, slightly startled at his asking. He has never asked that before, he just went along with her.

"Is it alright if I ask that?" Steve asked hastily upon spotting her startled look. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, no. It's okay. It's just you've never asked before." Lowri said, "In fact, no one has."

"Strange. Would have thought that the media would have interviewed you or something." Steve said but Lowri shook her head.

"No. No media has come knocking down my door." Lowri joked. "Okay, how much do you wanna know?"

"As much as you want to tell me, Ri." Steve said warmly. "You can tell me everything right from the start, or you can tell me something from a decade ago."

"Okay." Lowri said, she looked down at the floor and swallowed. "I think I should tell you everything. I've held everything back to myself all these years, no one knows the full story and I've held so much back from you."

"With good reason, Ri." Steve said slowly, "You haven't told anyone to protect yourself."

"And with all these threats gone, I don't need to protect myself anymore, do I?" Lowri asked, she smiled up at Steve, she squeezed his hand tighter and then released his hand as she turned her body to face him. His other hand fell from around her shoulders and he leant back on the bench.

"Am I finally going to hear your origin story?" Steve teased. Lowri nodded her head in reply and smiled playfully at him.

"Yes, well, actually I'm not sure if I can tell you myself." Lowri said, Steve looked at her with narrowed eyes and they searched hers curiously. "I have it written down. Bruce thought it was best for me to write down things I wanted to tell you, and well, I have a journal."

"A journal? What sort of stuff have you written in there?" Steve asked.

"All sorts of stuff." Lowri answered, she stood up and looked down at him. "I'll be right back."

Lowri gave Steve a warm smile before she tugged his jacket around her tightly and headed for the lift. She quickly headed down to her room and she grabbed the leather bound journal before making her way back up to Steve.

He was where she left him, still sat on the bench and he smiled when Lowri approached him, holding the thick leather bound journal in her hands.

* * *

 **Again, massive apologies for not updating last week!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"What did you do before the war, Ri?" Steve asked._

 _Lowri sat back and dropped his hand as she looked up at him, slightly startled at his asking. He has never asked that before, he just went a long with her._

 _"Is it alright if I ask that?" Steve asked hastily upon spotting her startled look. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."_

 _"No, no, it's okay. It's just that you've never asked me before." Lowri said, "In fact, no one has."_

 _"Strange. Would have thought that the media would have interviewed you or something." Steve said but Lowri shook her head._

 _"No. No media has come knocking down my door." Lowri joked. "Okay, how much do you wanna know?"_

 _"As much as you want to tell me, Ri." Steve said warmly, "You can tell me everything right from the start, or you can tell me something from a decade ago."_

 _"Okay." Lowri said, she looked down at the floor and swallowed. "I think I should tell you everything. I've held everything back to myself all these years, no one knows the full story and I've held so much back from you."_

 _"With good reason, Ri." Steve said slowly. "You haven't told anyone to protect yourself."_

 _"And with all these threats gone, I don't need to protect myself anymore, do I?" Lowri asked, she smiled up at Steve, she squeezed his hand tighter and then released his hand as she turned her body to face him. His other hand fell from around her shoulders and he leant back on the bench._

 _"Am I finally going to hear your origin story?" Steve teased. Lowri nodded her head in reply and smiled playfully at him._

 _"Yes, well, actually I'm not sure if I can tell you myself." Lowri said, Steve looked at her with narrowed eyes and they searched hers curiously. "I have it written down. Bruce thought it was best for me to write down things I wanted to tell you, and well, I have a journal."_

 _"A journal? What sort of stuff have you written in there?" Steve asked._

 _"All sorts of stuff." Lowri answered, she stood up and looked down at him. "I'll be right back."_

 _Lowri gave Steve a warm smile before she tugged his jacket around her tightly and headed for the lift. She quickly headed down to her room and she grabbed her leather bound journal before making her way back up to Steve._

 _He was where she left him, still sat on the bench and he smiled when Lowri approached him, holding the thick leather bound journal in her hands._

* * *

"I had a lot to write about, most of it is about you. Some of this is about the stuff that Hydra put into my head and some of it is my real memories. But, there's also my story in here. Hence why it's so thick. I've lived a long life." Lowri said, "And I think it's time you read it."

Lowri sat down next to Steve and offered him the journal. Steve looked down at it and then he looked at her.

"You want me to read your journal?" Steve asked.

"Yes." Lowri said, "You can take as long as you want."

Steve opened the journal to the first page and he smiled at the handwriting. He looked back up at her with a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you, Ri, thank you for this." Steve said. He looked down again and read the first extract, Lowri's introductory passage, explaining why she had chosen to write in the journal. "Tony was driving you that crazy?"

"Yes, he was. Pass that here." Lowri said, she held her hand out for the journal, which Steve handed over to her. Lowri flicked a few pages in and then paused when she came to the part she wanted. "This is the start, my start."

The two pages she was looking at was of her family tree. Steve moved closer to her and looked down at the family tree.

"You were one of ten children?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Yes, five brothers and four sisters. It was crazy growing up." Lowri replied, she smiled to herself. "By the time my younger sister was born, my eldest brother was courting his then wife."

"Whoa. Lowri isn't your real name?" Steve asked, he looked up at Lowri sharply and with wide eyes. "Evelyn."

Hearing Steve say her real name made her warm on the inside, as if hearing him say it woke something up inside her.

"Yes, wait, I mean no. Lowri isn't the name my parents gave me, but it is one of my middle names." Lowri explained.

"So, your real name is Evelyn Lowri Lucinda Jones?" Steve asked, he looked up at Lowri with a wondering smile on his face. Lowri nodded her head once. "Why haven't you reverted to your original name? Evelyn is so lovely and sweet. And…"

Steve trailed off and Lowri looked at him curiously. Was he blushing?

"What is it, Steve?" Lowri asked, she leant forward slightly and he tried to avoid her eyes.

"Evelyn was the name that I decided I would name my daughter, if I ever had one." Steve replied. He looked Lowri in the eyes with a soft smile on his face and Lowri felt drawn in deeper. Something very pleasant was brewing in her gut and it was a very good feeling. "I think it's a really beautiful name."

Lowri felt her face flush and Steve dropped his eyes to the journal again. Lowri bit down on her bottom lip as she looked up at the night sky. Sometimes being with Steve could be overwhelming.

"Brits are really odd." Steve remarked, Lowri brought her eyes back down to look at Steve with a curious look. Steve smiled when he looked up at her and he saw her look. "They captured you when you stopped a fire. That _is_ odd. You did something good."

Lowri thought that Steve was joking but then she realised that Steve was completely serious. It dawned on her that though he is from a different time, he is now used to her fire skills but he doesn't think like those of the 19th century.

"Oh, Steve." Lowri sighed, "Imagine this, it's 1837 and a raging fire mysteriously extinguishes itself." Lowri began, "And you see a young woman stood at the front of the crowd with a stupid look on her face, proud because she got rid of the fire and because that was her first time doing so with a fire not of her own and she probably looked guilty because she was always nervous if someone found out about her. Huh, no wonder I was arrested."

"That makes sense now." Steve chuckled, he dropped his eyes to the page once more. "At least they tried to amend their actions by offering you protection."

"It was the least they could do." Lowri replied, she smiled. "After all that torture, they owed me. They gave me this large underground bunker to practise in. Uh, do you remember the SSR base in London?"

Steve looked up from the book and narrowed his eyes at her carefully.

"Yeah." He said, he leant forward slightly.

"My underground base was below that. The SSR base used to be the old British Secret Service Headquarters." Lowri said, Steve's eyes widened and she smiled. "It was very odd being back there."

"I bet." Steve said slowly, he dropped his eyes back to the book. Lowri pressed her lips together and she knew she had to speak soon. She knew what was coming up in her journal and she knew it would sound better coming out of her mouth.

"Steve, can you stop reading, please?" Lowri asked, "This next part is something I should tell you myself."

Lowri's voice had changed from her calm and relaxed tone to a tighter tone, indicating stress and nerves. Steve looked up straightaway from the book and closed it on his lap, he looked up at her with a patient look on his face. Lowri admired his trust for her.

Steve waited for Lowri to say something and it was clear that he would wait patiently. Lowri wasn't exactly sure how she should tell Steve her news, but she knew she had to tell him herself. He can't simply read it in her journal.

"I was once naïve. A silly, young, naïve girl who had no idea what the real world was like beyond the little village I grew up in or how it worked. I was alone in the world and I had to make my own way, and I was very trusting. I lost all my money to a man who offered me refuge. I eventually learned not to be so trusting but I was fanciful. I could do whatever I wanted with no restrictions from family and I could see who I wanted." Lowri said, she looked into Steve's eyes. "You are not the first man that I fell in love with."

Steve's eyes widened as Lowri spoke the last few words. Even she couldn't believe that it was possible for her to have loved another man before him, yet it had been her who had lived through it. Lowri focused on her breathing to keep calm.

"His name was Thomas Robert Hall. He was an ordinary man with no special skills whatsoever other than his unbelievable charm. He was very rich and he was a part of Queen Victoria's court. He was a gentleman. We met by complete accident, I was working a market close to Buckingham Palace, uh, by working I mean patrolling. He was making his way to a meeting with a friend of his, but when he saw that I was in a bit of trouble, he called the meeting off." Lowri caught sight of Steve's look and she hastily tried to explain further. "The man I was following turned rather nasty, but Thomas and I managed to get the upper hand." Lowri added. "He loved me for who I was. He knew my occupation and he was fine with it. He didn't know about the fire thing or the age thing as even I didn't know about that yet."

"Why didn't you tell him about the fire?" Steve asked in a strained voice. Lowri knew this was hard for him.

"His life was already in danger because of the Queen. He was always a target and if I told him my secret, he would have been in even more danger." Lowri said, she looked down at her hands. "We were married for eleven years. When I realised that I wasn't aging, I left without a goodbye. It's all in the journal."

Steve was silent for a few seconds and when Lowri looked up, she saw that he had his eyes on the closed journal on his lap. Slowly, he looked up at her and all Lowri saw in his eyes was pain.

"I am so sorry, Steve." Lowri said quietly. "I know it's hard for you to hear this part of my life. Thomas died many years ago and I've let him go. I should have told you sooner but I wasn't sure how to tell you."

"It's alright, Ri." Steve said slowly, "You didn't have to tell me anything."

"I know, but I felt like I should tell you. Like we shouldn't have any secrets between us." Lowri said, "Okay, you can read on."

Steve dropped his eyes to the journal but he didn't open it up.

"You know what, I think I'll read this tonight." Steve said, he looked up and locked eyes with her. "It's getting quite chilly up here and I don't want you to get too cold. And it looks like there's a lot in here. If that's okay with you."

Lowri nodded her head swiftly and smiled.

"It's more than okay with me. You can take your time to read it, digest what's in there." Lowri said.

"There won't be any more secret husbands in there?" Steve asked jokingly.

"No more secret husbands." Lowri confirmed. "Alright, let's head back down to the party. I kinda want to see what sort of state everyone is in downstairs."

Lowri and Steve got to their feet and made their way back over to the elevator together.

"What state do you think Tony is in?" Steve asked as they waited.

"Drunk off his ass, I'm guessing." Lowri replied, "Unless he's somehow sobered his act up."

"He hasn't changed, has he?" Steve asked as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in.

"Not much." Lowri replied.

As the doors closed and they began their descent, Steve looked down at Lowri with a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you, Ri." Steve said, Lowri looked up at him with her eyes narrowed.

"For what?" Lowri asked slowly.

"For trusting me." Steve said, "This is nice. Just us."

"This is the closest I've felt to you in a long time, Steve." Lowri admitted. "And you don't know that much about me. It's time that you do."

Steve reached for her hand with his free hand and he gave it a squeeze comfortingly.

"I'm just glad that you can talk to me again." Steve replied. Lowri smiled back at him.

"Here's the plan for the rest of the night." Lowri said, she squeezed his hand gently. "I'll get the drinks in and you find us seats. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds good." Steve said with a smile. "But I'm gonna take this down to my room first."

Lowri nodded her head swiftly as the doors opened on the main floor. The music was loud and people were partying.

"We'll need strong drinks to deal with this lot." Lowri said, she nodded her head towards the room and then smiled up at Steve. She dropped his hand and then stepped out of the elevator, she turned to look back at him as the doors closed. Steve's smile was warm and welcoming, then he was gone from her sight.

Lowri headed straight to the bar to order their drinks and as she waited, she tugged the sleeves of Steve's jacket down over her hands. Despite the calm the roof had offered, it was cold up there. The party was loud and boisterous, indicating that it wasn't going to start slowing down any time soon.

"So, where did you sneak off to?" Maria asked as she stepped up beside Lowri and leant heavily against the counter. The way she moved made Lowri think she was intoxicated, by a fair bit.

"Are you drunk?" Lowri asked humorously.

"When you disappeared, I didn't know what to do with your ridiculously strong alcoholic drink so Tony dared me to down it. So, I did," Maria replied.

"Wow. You _are_ drunk." Lowri said with a smile. "You're crazy. No one in their right mind would drink what I drink."

"Ah, who cares? I'm off duty." Maria said, waving Lowri off.

"With Tony, you're never off duty. He's like a toddler, someone's always gotta look after him." Lowri said, "And Pepper isn't here to do that job… but you're very drunk so I doubt you'll be picking his ass up from the floor when he gets too drunk to find a chair."

"Meow." Maria laughed. "So, where did you go? Was you with Rogers?"

"Yes. I was with Steve. We went up to the roof for some air because he could see that you were interrogating me." Lowri said with a smile, she took hold of the drinks and ordered another for Maria.

"I thought I was too drunk?" Maria asked as the bartender turned away to make Maria's drink.

"You're off duty." Lowri replied, she stepped off with the drinks in her hands and at that moment, Steve joined her.

"This way, I see Sam sitting alone." Steve said quietly into her ear. Lowri followed him towards one of the upper levels with a bunch of chairs surrounding a table.

Steve took his drink of her as they got to the top of the stairs, then he stepped to the side to let Lowri pass in front of him.

"Hey Sam." Steve said, alerting Sam of their presence. Sam looked up and smiled at them.

"There's my favourite couple." Sam said, smiling knowingly as he leant back in his chair.

"Hi Sam." Lowri said with a warm smile as she sat down and put her drink on the table. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, it's a good party. Good vibes." Sam replied. Steve sat down beside Lowri and they bumped legs. "You missed Maria Hill getting up on a table and dancing to Mamma Mia."

"Really? How drunk is she?" Steve asked with a laugh.

"She drank one of my drinks." Lowri said slowly. Both Steve and Sam turned their heads to look at Lowri. "I know, she's crazy."

The conversation flowed easily and soon they were talking about Steve's missions in Europe during WW2 and when he was leading the Howling Commandos.

"You remember the one from Poland, right?" Steve asked, looking up at Lowri quickly.

"Was that the one where the media team followed you out there and almost got themselves blown up on a mine and Dum Dum Dugan had to save them?" Lowri asked.

"Yeah." Steve said, he smiled fondly. "We gave the bombs to Jacques. Best and worst decision."

"Yeah. I watched a few of the films they put together. I'm pretty sure that one of them shows a compass." Lowri said as she leant back in her seat and took another sip of her drink. Steve's eyes widened and he glanced down at the floor quickly.

Sam caught onto it quickly.

"What's so important about a compass?" Sam asked, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Steve and then at Lowri for an answer.

"Steve had a compass with a photograph of me inside the cover. Somehow, he left it open when they were tracking some Hydra members and it was recorded. An entire room of my superiors saw it." Lowri replied with a smile, she glanced at Steve and then looked down at the table as she put her drink back down on the table. "But, I'm not sure where he got that photograph from as I had the only copy in existence. Though, I must admit that I mislaid it."

Steve looked up at her with a mischievous look.

"Where do you think it went?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"Did you root through my desk and steal it?" Lowri asked scandalously and she laughed. Steve laughed as he shook his head and he looked up at her.

"No, no, no." Steve said, he leant back and laughed. "A certain James Montgomery-Falsworth had slippery fingers." Lowri smiled as he spoke. "He saw how badly I took your rejection and he stole a photo from your desk the night before we left for the first mission. And I've still got that compass. They found it with me."

"She rejected you?" Sam asked wildly, turning his gaze on Steve and then he looked at Lowri with a sharp look instantly. "You rejected him?" Sam let out a laugh as gestured at Steve. "How and why could you ever reject a specimen like him?"

"I had good reason to." Lowri said with a small smile. A small twinge of jealously nibbled at her stomach and she tried to ignore it. "I found him kissing another girl less than twelve hours after we kissed for the first time." She had long forgiven Steve but the memories seemed fresh in her head and it did hurt.

Steve looked at Lowri with the apologetic look and he refused to break eye contact with her.

"You did what?" Sam asked, wheeling his eyes to Steve who nodded slowly, still keeping his eyes on Lowri.

"One of the girls from America threw herself at me because she wanted to say thank you for saving the men in Austria. And Ri caught us." Steve said, then he broke eye contact with her as he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"He saved over four hundred me from a Hydra work camp. They marched for three days with no provisions or contact with any of us. We were all worried what had happened, and there was no proof of aerial reconnaissance of them at all. The officers were getting very antsy." Lowri said.

"It got to the point where Ri was about to have a dishonourable discharge for helping me." Steve said.

"And I would have taken it." Lowri said, Steve looked up at her. "I helped and I would have had to face the consequences."

"Lowri Jones being discharged from the military dishonourably?" Sam asked, teasing Lowri.

"Yes. The situation was rather dire and the Colonel was rather angry with me." Lowri said slowly.

"You guys certainly had a lot of fun back in your day." Sam asked with a smirk.

"Back in our day?" Steve asked.

"Are you insinuating that we're past our time?" Lowri teased. Lowri turned her head and looked at Steve with a smile on her face. "I think he's jealous. Those days were the best."

Steve looked at her up and down slowly, as if taking her in again for the first time.

"Yeah, they were." He agreed.

"So, tell me more about your adventures together." Sam said, leaning forward and breaking Steve's look from Lowri.

"Uh, we didn't really have any adventures together." Lowri said, she took up her drink and took another sip. "Steve did all the adventuring with the Howling Commandos and I stayed behind the lines, working admin and bossing people around."

"What?" Sam asked quickly. "Is that even possible for you to sit back and let someone else go out in the field?" Lowri pulled a face at Sam and put her drink down.

"Surprisingly so. Women weren't allowed anywhere near to the frontlines, nor to fight, unless you were a nurse or an officer like me." Lowri said, she bit down on her bottom lip. "It wasn't until late 1945, after Steve died, that I got the chance to go out into the field. Firstly, with the Howling Commandos and then in 1946 with the SSR Agency, and even then, I had to beg and barter."

"But you and Peggy decided to join the army and help take down the Hydra base in the alps." Steve said slowly.

"Yeah. Because Chester knew that he needed as many people as he could get and he knew that I had a slight fighting chance. Plus, he almost drove that car over the edge of a cliff and I fell. He had a bit of a surprise when I started flying." Lowri said, she leant forward. "I kinda showed off back then. I showed off real good, even Dum Dum was impressed."

"Did you tell the Howling Commandos too?" Steve asked.

"I served with them for a few months, I told them all on the first night but I swore them to secrecy." Lowri said with a small smile, she knew the subject of her strange abilities were a sore subject for him. "They called it my magic when we were around civilians and others who didn't know, in private, they called it my magic fire."

"Of course, they did." Steve laughed, he glanced at Sam, who seemed very lost. "Dum Dum Dugan was one of the Howling Commandos I recruited and served with." Steve said proudly. Lowri remembered the struggles Steve had faced when he came to terms with being the leader of one of the greatest tag-team in the war. "There was a group of us going from Hydra base to Hydra base and taking them down before the Red Skull, the original leader of Hydra got there."

"And Dum Dum was a lovely man, he was this huge bear but he was protective of his team, and me." Lowri said, "Slightly mad but completely sane at the same time."

"Completely." Steve laughed.

The conversation moved from the war-time antics and onto Sam's antics whilst he was on tour. It seems as though the general gist of the army hasn't changed since the war. Sam described parts of his tours with enthusiasm and it made Lowri miss working with the army.

Halfway through the conversation, Lowri shrugged off Steve's jacket and draped it on the back of the armchair.

As the party died down and people retired for bed, more people joined the table and the conversation expanded out to the others.

Maria and Rhodey joined them first after Sam left, then Dr Cho floated over and sat in the other free armchair and fell asleep. It was nearing three in the morning when the rest of the guests began leaving.

Clint joined them and sat on the floor with Maria, deep in discussion about some old S. H. I. E. L. D. thing, Nat and Bruce joined the group and sat close together.

Thor joined them and Steve was sat beside him, Lowri moved so she was beside Steve, Rhodey and Tony were sat opposite, teasing Lowri and as the conversation moved to Thor's hammer, which was resting on the table, everyone was relaxed.

* * *

 **There we have it! What do you all think at the peek of Lowri's background? There's more!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Did you tell the Howling Commandos too?" Steve asked._

 _"I served with them for a few months, I told them all on the first night but I swore them to secrecy." Lowri said with a small smile, she knew the subject of her strange abilities were a sore subject for him. "They called it my magic when we were around civilians and others who didn't know, in private, they called it my magic fire."_

 _"Of course, they did." Steve laughed, he glanced at Sam, who seemed very lost. "Dum Dum Dugan was one of the Howling Commandos I recruited and served with." Steve said proudly. Lowri remembered the struggles Steve had faced when he came to terms with being the leader of one of the greatest tag-team in the war. "There was a group of us going from Hydra base to Hydra base and taking them down before the Red Skull, the original leader of Hydra got there."_

 _"And Dum Dum was a lovely man, he was this huge bear but he was protective of his team, and me." Lowri said, "Slightly mad but completely sane at the same time."_

 _"Completely." Steve laughed._

 _The conversation moved from the war-time antics and onto Sam's antics whilst he was on tour. It seems as though the general gist of the army hasn't changed since the war. Sam described parts of his tours with enthusiasm and it made Lowri miss working with the army._

 _Halfway through the conversation, Lowri shrugged off Steve's jacket and draped it on the back of the armchair._

 _As the party died down and people retired for bed, more people joined the table and the conversation expanded out to the others._

 _Maria and Rhodey joined them first after Sam left, then Dr Cho floated over and sat in the other free armchair and fell asleep. It was nearing three in the morning when the rest of the guests began leaving._

 _Clint joined them and sat on the floor with Maria, deep in discussion about some old S. H. I. E. L. D. thing, Nat and Bruce joined the group and sat close together._

 _Thor joined them and Steve was sat beside him, Lowri moved so she was beside Steve, Rhodey and Tony were sat opposite, teasing Lowri and as the conversation moved to Thor's hammer, which was resting on the table, everyone was relaxed._

* * *

"But it's a trick!" Clint protested, "Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power." Clint mocked, "Whatever man! It's a trick."

Thor let out a deep laugh and gestured to the hammer in front of him.

"Well, please, be my guest." Thor offered, still laughing.

Silence fell on the group as they realised what Thor had just said and all wanted to see.

"Come on." Tony prompted, he grinned at Clint, egging him on to take up the challenge.

"Really?" Clint asked, he stopped drumming his knees with the chopsticks and looked up at Thor.

"Yeah." Tony egged him on.

Thor nodded his head and gestured at the hammer again and Clint got to his feet, he stepped around the table and reached for the hammer.

"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful." Rhodey said with a laugh.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." Tony added, causing the group to laugh.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint asked as he wrapped his hand around the hammer handle. Clint tugged at the hammer and grunted as he strained to pick it up. "I still don't know how you do it." Clint said, trying to laugh it off.

"You smell the silent judgment?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Please, Stark, by all means." Clint replied, offering the hammer for Tony to try. Tony sat up straighter and unbuttoned his jacket.

"Buttons undone. Tony means business." Lowri remarked, earning herself a sarcastic look from Tony.

"Okay." Maria put in.

"Uh oh." Rhodey laughed as Tony cleared his throat.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." Tony said as he got up, he sidestepped Clint and then reached for the hammer.

"Get after it." Clint smirked as he stepped back.

"It's physics." Tony said quickly and he wrapped the safety handle around his wrist.

"Physics." Bruce snorted.

"Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asked as he prepared himself.

"Yes, of course." Thor said simply, humouring Tony.

"I will be reinstituting _Prima nocta._ " Tony said.

"Ew, Tony, that's disgusting." Lowri said, she wrinkled her nose in disgust as she reached for her drink.

Tony gave her a withering look, as if to say, _'You know Latin?_ ' He pulled hard at the hammer and then looked at the group when he let go of the hammer, unsuccessful.

"I'll be right back." Tony said, he stepped away from the group and the table and he headed down into his lab.

"What does _Prima nocta_ mean?" Steve asked as he leant in closer to Lowri. He spoke quietly so Lowri leant in closer to him.

"It means that noblemen and lords have the rights to bed the wife of a man newly married on the wedding night." Lowri answered.

Steve leant back in his seat as he processed what Lowri had just said and then he pulled a disgusted face and looked at her.

"That's disgusting." Steve said.

"It's not backed up with any historical evidence or anything. So, it was probably one of the lords making it up because he liked one of the married women." Lowri said as Tony came back up the steps with his Iron Man hand on. This didn't work so Tony called Rhodey to help. Rhodey got his War Machine hand on and they tried to lift the hammer together.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey panted.

"Are you on my team?" Tony retaliated.

"Just representing. Pull." Rhodey ordered. Those two have their own language.

"Alright, let's go." Tony panted but the hammer didn't shift and they gave up.

Next was Bruce's turn, he pulled hard on the handle with his feet on the table, either side of the hammer and he pulled with all he had. He roared jokingly as he stepped back down from the table.

"Nah?" He asked with a smile when no moved.

Lowri smiled into her drink as Bruce came back to his seat and she patted his arm sympathetically and he laughed.

Steve shifted beside her and Lowri looked at him as he got to his feet with a smile on his face.

"You got this, Steve." Lowri said as he stood.

"Woo!" Maria cheered.

"Go ahead, Steve. No pressure." Tony teased.

Steve had a serious look on his face as he rounded the table and looked down at the hammer, as if sussing it out for the first time.

"Come on, Cap." Clint added.

Steve pulled at the hammer with both hands and his muscles strained against his blue shirt. The hammer let out a loud squeak as it shifted in Steve's hands and everyone's eyes were on Steve as he strained against the hammer. Lowri's eyes went to Thor, who watched Steve with a scared look.

Thor laughed nervously when Steve's second attempt didn't go too well as the hammer didn't move again.

"Nothing." Thor laughed as Steve came back to his seat with a defeated look on his face. The chance to try at Thor's hammer was offered to Nat.

Lowri finished off her drink and got to her feet as Nat graciously declined the offer.

"Oh no. That's not a question I need answered." Nat said, leaning back in her chair with her drink.

Lowri made her way to the bar to refill her drink, or just get the bottle, and Tony called after her.

"Don't you want to see if you're worthy or not, Ri?" Tony called after her. Lowri turned back as she walked and smirked.

"I'm pretty sure we all know the answer." Lowri called back, she turned back around and headed round the bar. She kicked off her shoes and sighed with relief as she reached for the bottle. Lowri tuned out the conversation as she poured her drink out.

Lowri headed back over to the party, which seemed to be in the process of dispersing and she caught onto Thor speaking.

"Yes, oh it's a very interesting theory. I have a simpler one, you are not all worthy." Thor said as he picked up the hammer and spun it in the air. Almost everyone groaned and verbally disagreed.

"Oh, come on!" Clint groaned as Lowri reached the back of the settee, he was cut off by an ear splitting loud noise that pierced the air and sliced it open.

"What was that?" Lowri asked as she rubbed her ear and looked around the group as soon as the noise died down.

"Worthy." The word stretched out throughout the room and everyone turned to locate the voice who spoke the word.

It was a man, no, a metal man. It was one of the Iron Legion suits and it was missing parts of its body and all mangled up.

"No." The metal man seemed confused. Lowri's heart began racing in her chest, she had no idea what to do in this situation. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

The metal man staggered towards them and Lowri inhaled sharply. She clutched her glass tighter in her hand and waited for the next move.

"Stark." Steve said in a warning monotone voice.

"Jarvis." Tony said slowly, he pulled out his little device and began tapping.

"I'm sorry. I was asleep, or I was a dream." The metal man said, he shook his metal head, as if clearing water from his ears.

"Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit." Tony said, still tapping on his device and eyeing the metal man in front of them carefully.

"There was this terrible noise. And I was tangled in… in… strings." The metal man said slowly. He looked up at the group and Lowri felt a chill run down her spine. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve asked sharply.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices." The metal man replied.

"Who sent you?" Thor asked quickly.

" _'_ _I see a suit of armour around the world._ '" The voice sounded awfully like Tony. Lowri looked over at Tony and he paled. He recognised the words.

"Ultron." Bruce breathed.

"In the flesh." The metal man said, he looked down at himself. "Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready."

There was something underlying in his words, only a hazy warning but a warning nonetheless. Maria clicked on instantly, she pulled out a gun from her hand bag and everyone seemed to brace themselves.

"I'm on a mission." The metal man said firmly.

"What mission?" Nat asked slowly.

"Peace in our time." The metal man answered coldly. There was silence that hung like a curtain and any small sound would have been heard clearly. Then, the wall behind the metal man burst open and sent plaster pieces around the room as five, fully operational Legionnaire suits burst through the wall and headed directly towards the group.

Everything happened at once and Lowri lost track of everyone as these five suits flew at them, intent on damage, or worse.

She was vaguely aware of a table being kicked into the air and used as a blockade and Rhodey being tossed through a glass pane into the hangar below.

One of the suits dove right for Lowri and she threw her hands up to form fireballs, she dropped her glass as the drink splashed all over the floor, she was grabbed and tossed into the air like a ragdoll. She burst into flames to counteract the suit, but the suit wasn't deterred.

The suit grabbed hold of her upper arms again, restraining her from making her fireballs, and it threw her with surprising force across the room and she crashed through the glass window into Tony's lab. Lowri spun in the air as she headed for the glass panes, unable to control herself, she threw her hands up as she went crashing through the glass panes and she landed on the floor hard with glass shards around her.

Lowri rolled to a stop with a groan as she hit a table, she felt glass splinters along her arms and legs, shoulders and neck, little shards had cut the fabric of her dress and cut her skin, staining the pretty pale pink colour dress blood red.

The suit smashed through more glass panes and made a beeline for the sceptre as Lowri struggled to her feet, she cut out her fire and ignored the pain emitting from her body, she ran after the suit as it burst through another window, an outside window, and it flew off into the night.

Lowri threw herself from the broken window without thinking and flew after it with urgency. They had fought so hard and long to get that sceptre, she wasn't going to let it escape now.

The suit cleared its flight path of any tall buildings, tilting higher and higher into the air as it climbed steadily. Lowri flew right behind, climbing with the suit.

The wind whipped past her but Lowri didn't feel the cold. Her fire was hotter and stronger than before, Lowri pressed herself to go faster and she reached out her hand, she focused the fire in the palm of her hand and she grabbed hold of the suit's left leg and heated her hand up as hot as she could go. She felt a little resistance from the suit, but she yanked the leg and the foot came away, including one of the engines powering the suit.

The suit jolted as it lost half of its power but before Lowri could even think of reaching for the other leg to take out the only working thruster, the suit spun on her swiftly and stabbed Lowri in her side with the sceptre. Lowri let out a sharp yelp when the suit dragged the sceptre up and out of her, the sceptre opened a wound in her side. The suit drew back its arm and punched Lowri on the shoulder hard.

Lowri was thrown away from the suit as quickly as the blood poured from her side, she felt lightheaded and she felt weak. As the suit flew away, Lowri felt her fire flicker drastically and she fell a few feet before she stabilised herself. She cussed out loud and stared after the suit, taking a short moment to decide whether or not to follow. She fell another few feet and that solidified her decision, she was too weak.

Lowri grimaced in pain, pressed one hand to her side to try to staunch the blood flow and then she turned back for the Tower.

She grew dizzier and dizzier as she slowly made her way back to the Tower, she was barely grasping onto consciousness as she got within feet of the tower and she pulled herself through the broken window, labouring to stay awake.

Lowri heard thudding footsteps, those of a heavy-set man and hands gripped her shoulders, trying to shake her awake and pay attention but all of Lowri's attention was on her hands and knees. She felt a dull pain in her hands and knees, her eyes were fuzzy and dim, she couldn't settle on anything.

"Lowri? Lowri, where did the sceptre go?" She had no clue who was asking her but she mumbled her reply before her arms buckled and she fell to the floor. Lowri lost consciousness at this point, lying in broken and sharp glass, steadily bleeding out in many places along her body.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Firstly, massive apologies for not updating over Christmas and New Year... I've been busy with work!**

 **Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Lowri threw herself from the broken window without thinking and flew after it with urgency. They had fought so hard and long to get that sceptre, she wasn't going to let it escape now._

 _The suit cleared its flight path of any tall buildings, tilting higher and higher into the air as it climbed steadily. Lowri flew right behind it, climbing with the suit._

 _The wind whipped past her but Lowri didn't feel the cold. Her fire was hotter and stronger than before, Lowri pressed herself to go faster and she reached out her hand, she focused the fire in the palm of her hand and she grabbed hold of the suit's left leg and heated her hand up as hot as she could go. She felt a resistance from the suit, but she tanked the leg and the foot came away, including one of the engines powering the suit._

 _The suit jolted as it lost half of its power but before Lowri could even think of reaching for the other leg to take out the only working thruster, the suit spun on her swiftly and stabbed Lowri in her side with the sceptre. Lowri let out a sharp yelp when the suit dragged the sceptre up and out of her, the sceptre opened a wound in her side. The suit drew back its arm and punched Lowri on the shoulder hard._

 _Lowri was thrown away from the suit as quickly as the blood poured from her side, she felt lightheaded and she felt weak. As the suit flew away, Lowri felt her fire flicker drastically and she fell a few feet before she stabilised herself. She cussed out loud and stared after the suit, taking a short moment to decide whether or not to follow. She fell another few feet and that solidified her decision, she was too weak._

 _Lowri grimaced in pain, pressed one hand to her side to try and staunch the blood flow and then she turned back for the Tower._

 _She grew dizzier and dizzier as she slowly made her way back to the Tower, she was barely grasping onto consciousness as she got within feet of the Tower and she pulled herself through the broken window, labouring to stay awake._

 _Lowri heard thudding footsteps, those of a heavy-set man and hands gripped her shoulders, trying to shake her awake and pay attention but all of Lowri's attention was on her hands and knees. She felt a dull pain in her hands and knees, her eyes were fuzzy and dim, she couldn't settle on anything._

 _"Lowri? Lowri, where did the sceptre go?" She had no clue who was asking her but she mumbled her reply before her arms buckled and she fell to the floor. Lowri lost consciousness at this point, lying in broken and sharp glass, steadily bleeding out in many places along her body._

* * *

Lowri has no idea how long she was out for but when she eventually came around and woke up, she was lying on a cold, steel table with someone at her side stabbing her with something very sharp and they weren't using any local anaesthetic.

"Tony, hold her steady. Stop moving her." Someone ordered. Lowri felt firm hands on the top of her shoulders press down slightly harder.

"I'm not moving her. Holy crap she's moving." Someone else replied.

Lowri's ears were fuzzy and all the sounds sounded far away, she tried to move her arms but she felt sluggish.

"Lowri, Lowri, stay with us. Hey, come on. Open your eyes." Someone ordered. Lowri opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the light. "Hey, keep your eyes open."

As Lowri's eyesight grew clearer, she saw that it was Bruce above her and he was using a needle to stitch her up.

Tony was stood at Lowri's head, his hands on her shoulders and he looked at her worriedly.

"We need you to stay awake." It was Bruce talking to her, he seemed to be using a gentle and calming voice but Lowri struggled to hear him.

There were other noises going on in the background, more voices but it was too much for Lowri to sort though and understand.

"Why do you sound funny, Bruce?" Lowri mumbled, she turned her head from one side to the other, still struggling to see but it was slowly getting clearer.

"She's delirious." Tony said, he moved closer to her and took a little pressure from her shoulders away.

At this, Lowri immediately tried to sit up but Tony put more pressure on her and Bruce almost had a panic attack.

"Whoa! Careful! Do you want me to do more damage?" Bruce asked quickly but he didn't expect an answer. Lowri closed her eyes again, wanting the bright light above her to be turned off but then Bruce practically barked at her to keep her eyes open.

"She'll heal quickly." Tony muttered but he gripped her shoulders tighter.

"Not quick enough, Tony. She should be healing a lot faster but she's not." Bruce said, he continued stitching with surprising concentration. "Pass me that box."

"Ow." Lowri mumbled. Her head cleared and her senses came back to her, Lowri opened her eyes again and she looked around. This time her eyesight was clearer, she could see things more than two feet away from her and she could focus on things easier. She looked up at Tony, who smiled warmly down at her and then she looked at Bruce, he was leaning down by her side, right where she got stabbed and sliced by the sceptre. Bruce stopped stitching her as soon as she mumbled the word ow and he watched her carefully. "Go on." She said, he went back to stitching the wound and she grimaced in pain.

Lowri looked around, trying to find something to distract herself from the pain. Her eyes landed on Steve, who was standing rigid just behind Bruce, watching her carefully. He looked relived when she looked at him.

"Been in the wars, missy?" Tony asked, drawing her attention back to him.

"Ow." Lowri muttered again, "Why the hell did you make a killer crazy robot for?"

"Not what I intended." Tony said quickly.

"Those suits are a menace. I can see why Pepper isn't a fan of them." Lowri said, she pulled a face when Bruce jabbed the needle in too hard. "But I melted its foot off so I'm happy."

Tony pulled a face at her and Bruce tied off the stiches and then dressed the wound with dressings and bandages and tape.

"Most of the cuts from the glass has cleared up, there's still some embedded glass so I'll get that out for you." Bruce said, dropping the tape. He picked up some medical tweezers and began digging in her arms and shoulders for the glass shards.

"Ow." Lowri mumbled again. Tony let go of her and stepped back but Bruce kept on working.

"That's what you get for rolling in glass." Bruce murmured as he worked.

"Didn't intend on finishing off my night rolling in glass to be fair." Lowri said slowly. She looked up at Bruce. "How did you get rid of the rest of the suits? Did you-"

"No. There wasn't a Code Green." Bruce said quietly. "Nat pulled me out of the way, but it was pretty intense."

Lowri looked behind him and she spied Rhodey holding an ice pack to his shoulder and Maria was sat down with her heels off, picking glass from the soles of her feet. Everyone else seemed unhurt.

"It looks it." Lowri said, she looked back at Bruce. "So… Ultron?"

"Tony's idea. But, I must admit I helped." Bruce said, he dropped the tweezers and wiped over the cuts with an antiseptic wipe. "I think you're all good." He tossed the used wipe in the bin and packed away the kit.

Bruce stepped backwards and Steve stepped up, he held his jacket in his hand and he offered it to her as soon as he helped her sit up. Lowri pulled herself up but Steve kept his hands up in case she fell.

"I'm not cold." Lowri said, pushing his hand away.

"Your dress is ripped." Steve replied quickly, he pushed the jacket towards her again and she slipped it on. "Are you okay?"

Steve's hand lingered on hers for a long moment and her eyes were drawn to his.

"Other than the hole in my side, just peachy." She said almost sarcastically. "What the hell happened?" She shuffled to the end of the table, wincing every time she moved and draped her legs over the edge.

"Ultron happened." Tony said from the middle of the room.

Bruce worked his way around the computers in the room, turning them on. He went to one and began typing.

"All of our work is gone. Ultron cleared us out. He used the Internet as an escape hatch." Bruce sighed.

"Ultron." Steve scoffed. He leant against the table beside Lowri and crossed his arms over his chest, his side brushing against her leg.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other." Nat said, Lowri looked over at her and saw that she had changed out of her pretty, but unsuitable, dress into a vest and jeans.

Lowri glanced down at the floor, knowing full well that no one in this room knows her full story. Even Steve, who now held a journal containing her thoughts and words doesn't know her full back story.

"He's in your files, he's in the Internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey asked, wincing slightly as he moved his arm.

"Nuclear codes." Maria said with realisation.

"Nuclear codes." Rhodey confirmed. "Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can."

"Nukes?" Nat asked sharply. "He said he wanted us dead."

"He didn't say 'dead'." Steve said, "He said 'extinct'." Lowri scoffed and Steve looked at her sharply.

"Good luck with that." She murmured.

"Not all of us are immortal, Ri." Clint noted. Lowri looked up at him and he raised an eyebrow at her. "He also said he killed somebody."

"There wasn't anyone else in the building." Maria said slowly.

"Yes, there was." Tony said, he sounded grieved. He stepped into the middle of the room again and he seemed to toss something into the middle of the room. An orange scrambled mess of lights floated in mid-air in front of him.

Bruce walked through the mess slowly, a look of complete disbelief on his face.

"What?" He asked, "This is insane."

Steve crossed his arms over his chest again and looked down at the floor.

"Jarvis. He was the first line of defence. He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense." Steve said. Lowri chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. So much for retirement.

"No. Ultron could have assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy. This is rage." Bruce said, looking up as his point was made.

Suddenly, all eyes swivelled towards the door as Thor stomped his way through, dressed in his full Asgardian battle gear. He made a beeline for Tony and he wrapped a hand around Tony's throat, he lifted Tony off the ground and stepped forwards.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rhodey stepped towards the angry God but it was clear that he could do nothing. Lowri jumped down from the table, right into the glass shards but she didn't feel any of it, she headed for Thor.

"It's going around." Clint remarked unhelpfully from his balcony.

"Come on, use your words buddy." Tony breathed out heavily and he pulled at the hand around his throat.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor said, Lowri reached him and placed her hand on Thor's arm, calming him.

"Thor. The Legionnaire?" Steve asked, stepping forwards. Thor turned and looked down at Lowri, she dropped her hand and stepped back as Thor turned to look at Steve. He shoved Tony away from him and Lowri stepped closer to Tony with a concerned look on her face but he waved her away.

"Trail went cold about 100 miles out but it's headed north." Thor looked back at the Tony. "And it has the sceptre. Now we have to retrieve it, again."

"Genies out of that bottle." Clint said.

"Clear and present is Ultron." Nat said firmly.

"I don't understand." Dr Cho said slowly, she was peering at the destroyed Legionnaire that had housed Ultron. "You built this programme. Why is it trying to kill us?"

Lowri moved to beside Maria and leant against the wall.

Tony let out a laugh and turned from the group but Bruce tried shut him up.

"You think this is funny?" Thor asked.

"No. It's probably not, right?" Ton asked, spinning to face the rest of the group. "This is a very terrible. Is it so…" Tony let out another laugh. "Is it so… it is. It's so terrible."

Lowri narrowed her eyes at Tony, wondering if he was going off the rails.

"This could have been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand." Thor said.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this." Tony began.

"Tony, maybe this might not be the time." Bruce warned.

"Really?" Tony asked sharply as he wheeled around to look at Bruce. "That's it? You just roll over, show your belly every time somebody snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murder bot." Bruce replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we that close to an interface?" Tony asked.

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here." Steve said, Lowri could see his posture change as he spoke. The leadership stance, she calls it. "The Avengers were supposed to be different than S. H. I. E. L. D."

"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony asked.

"No. It's never come up." Rhodey shot back immediately.

"Saved New York?" Tony asked.

"Never heard that." Rhodey replied.

"Recall that?" Tony asked, completely ignoring Rhodey. "A hostile army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing 300 feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all live long day, but that up there, that's… that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Steve replied simply.

"We'll lose." Tony said, stepping closer to Steve.

"Then we do that together too," Steve said simply. "Thor's right. Ultron is calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

This seemed to be the signal for everyone to disperse and start working on intel and recon.

Everyone left, except for Lowri and Steve, standing on opposite sides of the room.

"You look exhausted. I think it's time you went to sleep." Steve said, a smile came onto his face as he stepped across the room to meet her.

"Are you trying to send me to bed?" Lowri asked with a laugh. "We've got a loose cannon robot wishing for all of our deaths, and you want to send me to bed."

"No." Steve said firmly as he came to a stop in front of her with the smile still on his face. "I'm taking you down to your bed because you're bleeding out onto the floor again."

Lowri looked down at the floor and was marginally surprised to see blood coming from her feet.

"Oh." Lowri said slowly. She wriggled her toes and winced as pain suddenly shot up her feet. "Ow. That's not good."

"Ow is the right word." Steve chuckled. He stepped closer again and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and then he leant down and swept her up into his arms before she could protest.

He quickly grabbed the first aid kit that Bruce had left out and then Steve walked out of the lab and over to the elevator, with Lowri still in his arms.

"You're loving this." Lowri laughed as he moved swiftly across the destroyed main room.

"I am." Steve confirmed.

"I would accuse you of being drunk but I know for a fact that you can't get drunk, like me. Are you using my injuries as a chance to feel manly?" Lowri smirked.

"I'd be lying if I said no." Steve said, the elevator opened and Steve stepped in, he didn't let her down, even though she squirmed.

He passed the first aid kit to her so he could press the button and open the door to her room when they got there.

Steve carried her through the living and right into her bedroom, where he laid her down on the bed before turning the light on and turning back to her.

Lowri pulled herself up against the pillows, careful not to plant her feet on the bedding in case she damaged her feet even more.

Steve moved back over to her and took the first aid kit from her, he opened it up as he sat down beside her and rummaged through.

"What are you looking for?" Lowri asked, she sat up and grabbed some pillows, she propped her feet up and then leant back against the pillows with a sigh.

"Tweezers." Steve said, "And antiseptic wipes. And bandages." Steve replied, he glanced up at her and smiled. "Ah. There we go. You got a bowl going spare?"

"A bowl?" Lowri asked, "Why on earth would I have a bowl going spare?" She chucked over the tissue box she keeps on her bedside table, "Use a couple of tissues."

Steve took the box and all the equipment he had taken from the first aid kit down to the end of the bed. He moved one of her feet down onto his lap and he began pulling out the glass splinters and wiping away the blood.

Conversation was easy between them and spending some time like this, picking glass out of her feet and talking about anything and everything that isn't the murder crazy AI that Tony and Bruce brought into the world and called for their extinction.

"What did you mean when you said that Dum Dum was protective?" Steve asked, he looked up at her and Lowri smiled at him. "You said he was protective of the team, and you."

"Well he was." Lowri said, she shrugged her shoulders and looked down. "He would never let any harm come to the team."

Steve kept his eyes locked on Lowri and he silently urged her to continue.

"He was the person that always spoke of you fondly. He didn't shy away from me when I teared up. He was so kind to me after you went down with that plane. I uh, I never told you this but when you went down, I was heartbroken."

Lowri looked back up at him and Steve looked at her with sorrow. He stopped with the tweezers. And for a long moment, no one said anything.

"I gave myself two days to grieve you and I walked around London city in tears and then I spent the next day in the Whip and Fiddle, trying to drink it away." Lowri began, "I came back to the base the day after and the Howling Commandos and Chester were talking about them attacking the rest of the smaller bases and I volunteered to go with them. You know I fought with them."

"I stayed with them even after the war, we came back to London for VE day and we went to a small pub, and as I tried to get the drinks in, a soldier was rather insistent on getting a kiss from me." Lowri looked at Steve, "Howard noticed me trying to edge away, I mean, I didn't want to dampen this guy's mood, we'd just won the war. So, Dum Dum sorted him out for me."

"No punching?" Steve asked.

"Nope." Lowri said, she smiled. "No wahooing, either."

Steve chuckled and resumed picking the glass splinters out of her feet.

"He was a great guy." Steve said slowly.

"He remained a great guy right up till the end." Lowri said, "They kept on fighting because of you, you know."

Steve paused and looked up at her.

"Your memory is what drove them on." As she spoke, Steve resumed picking glass out of her feet. "If they knew that you were alive now, they would love it."

"I miss those guys." Steve said, he dropped the tweezers on the bed and began dabbing at her feet with the antiseptic wipes, which stung. "You wouldn't believe the amount of teasing I got off them because of you."

"I think I do." Lowri said, she took a deep breath and looked at him. "Dum Dum liked reminding me that I was your girl. And I still am."

Steve fought to keep the smile off his face and kept his eyes downward. He grabbed the bandages and began dressing her feet with dressing pads and then bandaging around it.

"I didn't mind." Lowri said slowly, Steve glanced up and smiled, "It reminded me of you."

Steve tucked in the final bandage and then moved her feet back onto the pillow and he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Lowri asked, watching him as he gathered up the used wipes, the tissues full of glass splinters and the tweezers, now packed in the first aid kit.

"To get refreshments." Steve said, smiling at her. "You, do not move an inch. You're on bedrest." Steve ordered, he pointed a finger at her.

"What are you gonna do if I move, Captain?" Lowri asked with a smirk.

"Tie you down." Steve replied, he smirked at her and headed out of the room.

Lowri was left in the room in her torn dress, with Steve's jacket wrapped around her shoulders and her feet all bandaged up tightly.

"Good. You can _actually_ listen." Steve said upon entering the room again, this time instead of holding the first aid kit, he held a six pack of bottle beers.

"Ah, beers." Lowri sighed, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and Steve climbed onto the bed beside her.

Steve cracked open two of the beers and passed one over to her, she took a deep drink and he took a sip.

"When I first set eyes on you, I wouldn't have thought that I'd be sitting beside you in another century, drinking beers while a robot calls for our deaths." Steve said as calmly as he could.

"Do you realise how normal that sounds?" Lowri asked with a laugh.

"That's completely abnormal, Ri." Steve said firmly, he turned his head to look at her. "Do you remember when I said that you've only scared me twice?"

"I remember. The taxi thing and the safe place." Lowri said, turning her head to look at him too. She took another sip of her beer.

"Well, I lied." Steve said, he turned his head from her and looked at the beer in front of him. "On the first day of training, do you remember how we were all stood in a line and Agent Carter punched Hodge in the face?"

"Yeah. I never liked that guy." Lowri said, "Though, he did apologise for being an idiot once."

"And why do you think he apologised?" Steve asked, he smiled at the wall and didn't look at her. Lowri narrowed her eyes at him curiously.

"Wait." Lowri said, this time Steve looked at her and she sat up straighter. "That split lip you had…"

Steve shrugged his shoulders and pulled a 'whatever' face.

"That was you? You made him apologise?"

"Yeah." Steve said, "He was being disrespectful to you."

"You didn't need to get yourself punched in the face because of me." Lowri said firmly.

"That's in the past now, Ri." Steve said, he half smiled at her. "I remember the first time I laid eyes on you. I was terrified. You stepped down from that truck with this authoritative air about you and you stood beside Doctor Erskine with this impressive look on your face, you were looking down the line of men and when you looked at me, I felt frozen. You were so intimidating and a little bit enticing." Steve finally turned his head to look back at her, a small smirk on his face. "I had this yearning to earn your favour."

Lowri looked ahead of her, she pressed her lips together.

"When I first saw you, I thought that you looked out of place." Lowri admitted. Steve looked at her sharply and laughed.

"Well, yeah, I guess so." Steve laughed.

"It's just, your height struck me most. I know I'm not the tallest person in the world and you were practically the same height as me, but seeing you standing between all those tall men… you looked out of place." Lowri paused. "And then you looked up at me and your eyes… they spoke to me."

"I may or may not have been telling you not to look at me because I was shaking and I was intimidated." Steve replied with a smile.

"And all these years, I thought you were the only soldier not scared of me." Lowri laughed, she took another sip of her drink, "Okay, so all the soldiers I met were or could have been scared of me at one point. God, we were fighting a bloody war, I could have been nicer."

Steve chuckled and looked at her.

"I wasn't scared of you after we spent some time together and after we kissed, I felt like I was the luckiest man on the planet. I couldn't keep the smile off my face and when I got back to the room I shared with Bucky, I was grinning like an idiot and he teased me until we both fell asleep." Steve said, "And then you saw me and that private… I felt so stupid."

"Good." Lowri said firmly, her smile dropped from her face. "That really did hurt."

"I'm sorry." Steve said quietly, he grasped her hand and squeezed gently.

"It's alright, Steve. It only hurt because I fell in love with you so quickly and so easily, and I was the happiest woman alive at that moment in time." Lowri said, she looked up at him and watched the numerous emotions run through his eyes. "Of course, I was more upset and angry with myself than you."

"Why?" Steve asked slowly.

"Because I was stupid for letting myself fall for you so quickly. I never do that." Lowri said, "But I know you weren't at fault either. What were you going to do when this beautiful young woman throws herself at you to thank you for saving so many lives? She saw you as a new hunk of meat, a hero on the outside. She saw the muscle. But she didn't know you as I do." Lowri shuffled back against the pillows, careful not to move her feet much. "I saw you as a man overcoming so much, I knew you as an honest man, a remarkable, honest, charming and caring man. And you don't even know it."

"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." Steve said quietly after a long moment.

Lowri nudged his arm with hers, making him look at her.

"Who just so happens went on a joy trip to Austria to save his best and ended up saving more than four hundred men in the process, and much more."

Steve rolled his eyes at her and then looked down at his beer.

"Who'd have thought that we'd be in this position, seventy years later?" Steve asked with a small smile.

Lowri nodded her head and took a sip of her beer. She certainly didn't.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading, I am very sorry about the last few weeks.**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers! I am so glad that the rush of Christmas is over and done with, work is actually quiet for once, which is really nice!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"And all these years, I thought you were the only soldier not scared of me." Lowri laughed, she took another sip of her drink. "Okay, so all the soldiers I met were ir could have been scared of me at one point. God, we were fighting a bloody war, I could have been nicer."_

 _Steve chuckled and looked at her._

 _"I wasn't scared of yo after we spent some time together and after we kissed, I felt like the luckiest man on the planet. I couldn't keep the smile off my face and when I got back to the room I shared with Bucky, I was grinning like an idiot and he teased me until we both fell asleep." Steve said, "And then you saw me and that private... I felt so stupid."_

 _"Good." Lowri said firmly, her smile dropped from her face. "That really did hurt,"_

 _"I'm sorry." Steve said quietly, he grasped her hand and squeezed gently._

 _"It's alright, Steve. It only hurt because I fell in love with you so quickly and so easily, and I was the happiest woman alive at that moment in time." Lowri said, she looked up at him and watched the numerous expressions run through his eyes. "Of course, I was more upset and angry with myself than you."_

 _"Why?" Steve asked slowly._

 _"Because I was stupid for letting myself fall for you so quickly. I never do that." Lowri said. "But I know you weren't at fault either. What were you going to do when this beautiful young woman throws herself at you to thank you fir saving so many lives? She saw you as a new hunk of meat, a hero on the outside. She saw the muscle. But she didn't know you as I do." Lowri shuffled back against the pillows, careful not to move her feet much. "I saw you as a man overcoming so much, I knew you as an honest man, a remarkable, honest, charming and caring man. And you didn't even know it."_

 _"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." Steve said quietly after a long moment._

 _Lowri nudged his arm with hers, making him look at er._

 _"Who just so happens went on a joy trip to Austria to save his best friend and ended up saving more than four hundred men in the process and much more."_

 _Steve rolled his eyes at her and then looked down at his beer._

 _"Who'd have thought that we'd be in this position, seventy years later?" Steve asked with a small smile._

 _Lowri nodded her head and took a sip of her beer. She certainly didn't._

* * *

In less than two hours later, Lowri woke up with a small jump and she was surprised to find out that her head was resting on Steve's shoulder and her arm was draped over his chest, she was cwtched into his side and his arm was around her shoulders protectively, he was on his back. Steve was in a deep sleep but what surprised Lowri most of all was that her journal was on his lap. He must have read it when she was asleep.

Lowri let herself relax in his arms, relieved to feel no sudden impulse to leave him. She was almost healed. Apart from small moments when she forgets that she's healed, she feels fine and she can be around him.

She slowly untangled herself from him and took herself to the bathroom. She showered, dressed in a pair of dark jean and a t-shirt, then she felt slightly chilly so she pulled on a hoody and left the bathroom. Steve was still passed out on top of her bed and he looked so peaceful that she left him there.

The large space where the party was held mere hours ago was still a wreck, glass was everywhere, tables were overturned and the bar was destroyed. Lowri took the stairs down to one of the cinema rooms and she turned the large screen on and began watching the news, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the killer robot. Of course, last night had _not_ been a dream.

There was a small mention of the party Tony had thrown because the noise could be heard from some parts of town but there was nothing about this Ultron.

Maybe it had been a horrible, horrible dream but Lowri couldn't kid herself. The bandages she had stripped from her feet this morning in the shower wasn't a dream, they were real. The thick bandaging around her torso wasn't a dream. The pain in her side was real.

An hour later, the Tower showed signs of life.

"Where did you and Rogers disappear off to?" Nat asked as she threw herself into a chair beside Lowri with a travel mug full of strong coffee.

Lowri tilted her head and looked at Nat and then sniffed at the air.

"As I recall, everyone left the room, leaving Steve and I together." Lowri pointed out. "We went down to my room. Well, he carried me down." She saw the look Nat threw her way and rolled her eyes. "I stepped in glass last night when I tried to calm Thor down and stop him from killing Tony. Steve picked the glass out, cleaned the cuts and bandaged my feet up, then we drunk beers and talked about how I scared him."

"Cute." Nat said before sipping her coffee. "You scared him?"

"Apparently, I was rather intimidating back in the day." Lowri admitted.

"I can totally see you being like that." Nat said with a smirk, "A total dragon."

"I miss being a total dragon." Lowri said. "Back when I had a rank and a purpose."

"Is there anything in the news about Ultron?" Nat asked.

"Nothing." Lowri sighed, "If this thing is really an AI built by Tony and Bruce, then it's gonna be super smart already so it probably knows not to act in public."

"I agree. It'll work behind the scenes." Nat agreed.

"Maybe someone will have picked up a trace of this Ultron as he escaped on the internet. I'm sure that some people do that sort of thing for fun."

Lowri let out a sigh and Nat looked over with a smile on her face.

"What do you want, Ri?" Nat asked with a laugh.

"Your coffee is making me want some tea." Lowri said with a laugh.

"Go make some then, grandma." Nat said with a sly smile.

"Well, someone is in a bad mood." Lowri said, she pushed herself to her feet and moved towards the door. "Do you want me to get Bruce for you? I'm sure he can calm you down."

Lowri was already past Nat at this point, so Nat tossed a pillow at Lowri and she easily dodged it.

Once in the large kitchen, she made herself a cup of tea. Then her phone rang and it was Tony, calling her up to the meeting room.

Lowri walked up with her steaming cup of tea and entered the room just as Tony finished off his sentence.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." Tony said.

Lowri quickly looked around the room, everyone was already gathered. Nat was sat at a computer and so was Bruce, probably trying to find a trace of Ultron to track it down. But everyone, bar Bruce, was gathered around Nat's computer but they were all looking at a tablet.

"Who did a Banksy?" Lowri asked as she stepped closer, she placed her cup of tea on a placemat on the desk where Nat sat, shared a smile with Nat before taking the tablet that Tony offered her.

"Ultron." Tony replied shortly.

"This is a smokescreen. Why send us a message when you've just given a speech?" Nat asked as she typed on the computer.

Lowri looked down at the tablet and for the first time in her life, she set eyes upon the man who did so much to her in such little time. Her heart missed a beat and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. Baron von Strucker, dead in a jail cell with a metal man in the side of the photo and the word ' _PEACE_ ' written just behind Strucker in blood.

She couldn't take her eyes from the tablet screen, her eyes were locked onto Strucker. She couldn't help it.

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss." Steve said, he took a step closer to the group and he looked around. His words shook her from her trance and Lowri quickly placed the tablet on the desk, away from her.

"Yeah. I bet he… yeah, everything we had on Strucker's been erased." Nat said with a sigh and she looked up from the computer.

Steve looked at Lowri with wonder, and Lowri narrowed her eyes at him in confusion,

"Not everything." Steve said slowly, keeping his eyes on Lowri.

"What are you talking about, Cap?" Clint asked. It dawned on Lowri.

"Do you guys remember my hobby of printing everything out, even though we had the electrical copies?" Lowri asked slowly.

"Yeah. Costed me a bomb and a half." Tony replied quickly.

"You practically burn money, stop whining." Lowri said, "I kinda kept up the hobby after I healed… so check the storage room down the hall."

"You're a 19th century genius." Tony said before he kissed her forehead and left the room with Bruce and Thor.

Steve raised his eyebrows at her but he said nothing because Nat was still in the room, typing away at her computer.

All of the boxes that Lowri had neatly and carefully filled and stacked on Strucker were now in the meeting room with them and most of the paper was strewn across the floor, tossed there in impatience.

There was plenty of information in the boxes, known associates, hobbies and pretty much everything that they had on Strucker.

"Baron Strucker had a lot of friends." Steve said as he rifled through one of the boxes.

"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce said with a sigh.

"Wait." Tony said, he reached his hand out and stopped Bruce from tossing the file he held into the useless pile. "I know that guy." Tony reached for the file and peered at it. Lowri stepped around the table and peered at it, the guy in the folder was Ulysses Klaus. "From back in the day. He operates off the African Coast. Black market arms." Tony glanced up and spied Steve's stern look. "There are conventions." Tony said quickly in his defence, this time it was Lowri giving him one of her stern looks. "You meet people. I didn't sell him anything."

"This?" Thor asked, gesturing to one of the profile photos of Klaus. It was showing him getting into a car, showing off the back of his neck where he had plenty of tattoos.

"Ah. It's a tattoo. I don't think he had it when I met him." Tony said.

"Those are tattoos." Thor said, pointing to the black markings on Klaus' skin. "This is a brand."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the brand and then returned to his computer, within seconds he pulled up the exact replica of the brand and its meaning.

"Oh yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief'. In a much less friendly way." Bruce explained as he turned back to the group.

"What dialect?" Steve asked.

"Wakanada." Bruce said firmly. He squinted at the word on the screen as Lowri perked up. _Familiar._ "Wa-Wak-Wakanda."

Tony and Steve looked up at each other and Lowri stared at Bruce. _No way._

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods…" Tony trailed off.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it." Steve pointed out.

"Howard is a little out of date by now. There's modern diggers that can go deeper than any diggers back then." Lowri said, "It's completely possible."

Both men looked up at her quickly.

"Did you just call Dad out-dated?" Tony asked with a little bit of humour.

"I did." Lowri admitted.

"He'd hate you right now." Tony said with a smile.

"I don't follow." Bruce said, he got up from the computer and stepped back over to the paper strewn table. "What comes out of Wakanda?"

"The strongest metal on earth." Tony replied as he and Steve stepped away from each other to show Steve's shield, propped up against the wall.

"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked, looking directly at Tony.

It took a bit more rifling in the boxes but they eventually managed to pin point the location of Klaus, which was back on the African coast in a salvage yard.

The group suited up, all except Lowri, and they headed onto the jet.

Nat and Clint headed up the cockpit since the autopilot was taken out of the jet and Lowri sat on the table in the centre of with her shirt pulled up to the top of her waist as Bruce took out her stitches.

"Is this the first time you've ever had stitches?" Bruce asked as he carefully pulled out the stitches.

"Yeah." Lowri said, she clenched her hand into a fist as he pulled out another stitch. "Never again. Next time, just let me bleed out. I'll heal eventually."

"You weren't healing as quickly as you should." Bruce said, "You have to be careful. You're not indestructible anymore."

"I never was indestructible." Lowri said quietly. She caught sight of Steve watching her carefully. "I took loads of hits over the years, I bleed, I break bones, I just recover quicker than anyone else."

Bruce looked up at her.

"Well, you heal slower now." Bruce said firmly.

Once all the stitches were out, Lowri jumped off the table and took herself into the left wing where she hid behind a screen and suited up. Her side was a little sore and the boots she wore added support to her feet.

Lowri came around the screen and headed out to the rest of the group as she strapped her handguns into their holsters and tightened her sleeve.

Clint parked up the jet about a mile away from the huge, deserted salvage yard and they left Bruce on board with instructions not to go into Code Green unless said so.

The rest of the group trooped across the desert until they reached the ship they were looking for, the Churchill.

"He was a horrible guy." Lowri remarked as they neared the ship. "Bit of an alcoholic. Bit grumpy. Liked telling women where their places were, but he got there in the end."

"Who? You've met this Klaus guy too?" Clint asked.

"No." Lowri said, she gestured to the ship. "Churchill."

Tony muttered something about old people and Steve shot him a look before they grew silent and entered the ship stealthily.

They split up as soon as they got inside. Clint and Nat headed for the higher vantage points while Thor, Tony, Steve and Lowri stayed on the ground floor, waiting and watching.

Tony and Thor were on one side, just in sight of the bridge leading over to where Klaus, one of his men, the Maximoff twins and a tall robot, which was very similar to Tony's Iron Man Suit, this must be Ultron.

Steve and Lowri were one the other side, pressed against the wall and peering around the corner at the scene playing out in front of them.

Klaus was flanked by one of his men as he opened two sliding doors to reveal barrels and barrels of toxic waste, which made no sense at all, but then Klaus hit a button and the barrels of toxic waste were lowered into the floor and dozens of tubes of raw Vibranium came down from the ceiling.

"Holy shit." Lowri cussed under her breath. Steve looked back at her sharply and she merely widened her eyes. Now was not the time to worry about her language.

Klaus picked up a tube of raw Vibranium and passed it over to Ultron and Ultron looked at it closely.

"Upon this rock, I will build my church." Ultron said before tossing the tube over to Pietro Maximoff.

He looked pale and his eyes were sunken, his sister looked pretty much the same.

"You know, it came at a great personal coat." Klaus said slowly, he brought his hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed at the brand. "It's worth billions."

Ultron chuckled, it sounded strange but completely humanlike at the same time. He closed his eyes and leant back slightly, as if thinking.

"Now, so are you. It's all under your dummy holdings. Finance is so weird." Ultron said as Klaus' man checked on a phone at their banks.

Lowri leant back and looked up at Steve.

"It's so humanlike. It's unsettling." Lowri said in a quiet voice. Steve nodded his head to agree with her.

"But, as I always say, keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which." Ultron continued.

Klaus looked up at his man with a sceptical look and they shared another look before looking up at Ultron.

"Stark." Klaus said slowly.

"What?" Ultron asked.

"Tony Stark used to say that, to me. You're one of his." Klaus said quickly.

There was a sudden change in the air around Ultron and Lowri sensed it from where she was stood. Ultron became hostile and defensive quickly, he displayed these humane emotions so easily.

"What? I'm not…" Ultron grabbed Klaus' arm angrily and held on tightly. Klaus' man immediately drew out his firearm but Wanda Maximoff was quicker, she moved her hands with a red glow about them and the man's hand was knocked to the side.

"I'm not… you think I'm one of Stark's puppets? His hollow men? I mean look at me. Do I look like Iron Man? Stark is nothing!" Ultron steadily grew angrier and angrier, he raised his arm as he spoke and drew his arm down sharply on Klaus' arm, he cleanly sliced Klaus' forearm off and he dropped it to the floor.

Klaus stumbled backwards in shock, gripping at his injured arm.

"I'm sorry. I'm… Oh! I'm sure that's gonna be okay. I'm sorry. It's just that I don't understand. Don't compare me with Stark!" Ultron kicked out at Klaus and hit him square in the chest, Klaus went flying backwards and down a set of stairs with his man following him quickly. "It's a thing with me. Stark is… he's a sickness."

Ultron was showing scary signs of multi personalities and it was scary.

Tony and Thor moved out first, shortly followed by Steve and Lowri.

"Ah, Junior." Tony said teasingly as he landed at the head of the small group, just halfway across the narrow metal bridge. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."

Ultron and the Maximoff twins turned to face them, Ultron looked intimidatingly tall from this close up and the twins looked wild.

Lowri looked at the Maximoff twins first, half wondering if they had willingly sided with Ultron or if they were being forced to be there, but judging by how their stance changed from half-relaxed to completely defensive, they were here by choice. Damn kids.

"If I have to." Ultron said simply, taking a small step towards the group.

"Nobody has to break anything." Thor said seriously.

"Clearly, you've never made an omelette before." Ultron replied quickly. He's humorous too?

"He beat me by one second." Tony said, turning his head to look at Lowri and Thor.

"Ah, yes. He's funny, Mr Stark. This is what, comfortable?" Pietro asked as he turned his head to the side and looked at the large bombs stock piled below them. "Like old times?"

"This was never my life." Tony insisted, he looked down at the bombs too.

"You two can still walk away from this." Steve said, looking at both of the Maximoffs.

"Oh, we will." Wanda replied smoothly.

"I know you've suffered." Steve said gently.

Ultron scoffed and gestured wildly.

"Captain America. God's righteous man." Ultron scoffed, Steve looked sharply at Ultron. "Pretending you could live without a war." Lowri saw in the corner of her eye how Steve stiffened when Ultron spoke those words. "I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but-"

"Then why are you trying to start a war against us?" Lowri asked, she took a step forward and clenched both her hands into fists.

"Hydra's secret weapon." Ultron said slowly, almost a sneer. "Turned against them. How ironic for you to care so much for a man you want to kill."

"Hydra has no hold on me anymore." Lowri hissed.

"Hydra always had control." Ultron said smoothly. "You just didn't know it."

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it." Thor said firmly, he stepped up beside Lowri.

"I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet'." Ultron said, gesturing with his hands.

"Uh huh. What's the Vibranium for?" Tony asked, nodding his head towards the Vibranium tubes.

"I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to use this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron said and swiftly, he threw his hand up and used a magnetic force to pull Tony towards him and at the same time, three suits flew out and dove down at Thor, Steve and Lowri.

The suit that went for Lowri was moving fast, a little too fast for her to heat up her hands and grab hold, instead, as she was heating up her hands, the suit punched her with its metal fist in the shoulder and Lowri went flying backwards.

Lowri dove at the suit just as her hands heated up and she grabbed its legs and then blocked hits from the suit. Her forearms were going to be dotted with bruises the next day.

The suit made a swing for her head and Lowri released her hold on the suit as she ducked. As the suit drew back its arm for another hit, Lowri moved quickly, she brought the fire to her hands and brought her flaming hand to the suit's neck and melted the metal, the suit fell at her feet with the head rolling off the bridge.

Lowri heard Thor grunt loudly and she spun to look and ducked just in time as the hammer was thrown over her head and hit a suit square in the chest and then Lowri caught sight of Steve pressed against the railing of the bridge, held at the neck by a suit, Steve looked as though he was close to falling off the bridge.

Lowri spun to him and threw her hands up. A stream of fire came out of her hands and blasted the head off the suit.

Steve leant forwards with a hand to his neck as the suit collapsed at his feet, Steve looked up at her but another suit appeared and went for Thor.

Thor easily threw the suit down but he was shoved into the wall hard by Pietro Maximoff and Steve dived for Wanda Maximoff and Steve was blasted backwards.

Men lined the walkways above and began raining bullets down on the floor simultaneously. Lowri shot off into the air above them fighting with another suit who seemed to enjoy fist fights.

Finally, the suit fell from the sky with the neck melted and Lowri floated alone, trying to gather her breath. She could see the drama unfolding below and she could also see Klaus' men aiming their weapons on her.

Lowri dived down immediately, avoiding most of the gunfire. She dove on the remaining suit.

" _Thor, status?_ " Steve asked over comms.

" _The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care. I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty._ " Thor said and then he seemed to disappear.

Lowri melted through the neck of the suit and the head fell off the bridge, Lowri tossed the body with it and looked around herself, she was alone on the bridge.

Then she heard distinct yells, to aim all firearms at her. Panic took over and before Lowri could even think about moving out of the way, the first shot was fired.

Bullets hit the floor beside her and bounced off into different directions and then the pain exploded from her shoulder as a bullet went straight through.

"Ah!" Lowri yelped, she spun and hit the railing with her uninjured arm and stumbled against it. More bullets rained down on her and another bullet hit her in the thigh. Lowri yelled out again and she lost her grip on the railing, she fell to her knees and as she fell, another bullet went straight through her stomach, causing her to double over in pain, Lowri clutched at the railing with a white hand while her other hand went to her stomach.

All of this had taken less than thirty seconds and Lowri was bleeding out on the bridge quickly.

"Lowri!" Steve yelled, Lowri looked up at him to see him running down one of the walkways on her level and he neared quickly. Lowri took her hand from her stomach and reached for him with her bloody hand and his name bubbled on the tip of her tongue but it never escaped. It was too late.

A bullet buried itself in her forehead.

Lowri's body jolted backwards and a small trickle of blood began trailing down from the gunshot wound in her forehead and down her face, her hand from the railing and Lowri landed on her back with a loud thud, her mouth was slack and her eyes were lifeless.

Blood poured from her stomach and her shoulder and her head while the blood spurted out of her thigh with each heartbeat, steadily getting less and less.

Steve pushed himself harder to get to her and before he could skid to his knees beside her, a gust of wind rushed past him before he felt contact. Hands shoved him hard and he went flying backwards and into a staircase.

He hit his head hard and tried to right himself to look at Lowri.

All Steve wanted to do was hold Lowri in is arms, to hold her body and try to keep the warmth inside her body but the next thing he knew, a pain was soaring through his head and his mind seemed to leave the body and all he could see was a red mist.

* * *

 **Ooooh. What did you think of that ending? I absolutely loved writing it!**

 **Thanks all for reading, let me know what you think?  
**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Finally, the suit fell from the sky with the neck melted and Lowri floated alone, trying to gather her breath. She could see the drama unfolding below and she could also see Klaus' men aiming their weapons on her._

 _Lowri dived down immediately, avoiding most of the gunfire. She dove on the remaining suit._

 _"Thor, status?" Steve asked over comms._

 _"The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care. I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty." Thor said and then he seemed to disappear._

 _Lowri melted through the neck of the suit and the head fell off the bridge, Lowri tossed the body with it and looked around herself, she was alone on the bridge._

 _Then she heard distinct yells, to aim all firearms at her. Panic took over and before Lowri could even think about moving out of the way, the first shot was fired._

 _Bullets hit the floor beside her and bounced off into different directions and then the pain exploded from her shoulder as a bullet went straight through._

 _"Ah!" Lowri yelped, she spun and hit the railing with her uninjured arm and stumbled against it. More bullets rained down on her and another bullet hit her in the thigh. Lowri yelled out again and she lost her grip on the railing, she fell to her knees and as she fell, another bullet went straight through her stomach, causing her to double over in pain, Lowri clutched at the railing with a white hand while her other hand went to her stomach._

 _All of this had taken less than thirty seconds and Lowri was bleeding out on the bridge quickly._

 _"Lowri!" Steve yelled, Lowri looked up at him to see him running down one of the walkways on her level and he neared quickly. Lowri took her hand from her stomach and reached for him with her bloody hand and his name bubbled on the tip of her tongue but it never escaped. It was too late._

 _A bullet buried itself in her forehead._

 _Lowri's body jolted backwards and a small trickle of blood began trailing down from the gunshot wound in her forehead and down her face, her hand from the railing and Lowri landed on her back with a loud thud, her mouth was slack and her eyes were lifeless._

 _Blood poured from her stomach and her shoulder and her head while the blood spurted out of her thigh with each heartbeat, steadily getting less and less._

 _Steve pushed himself harder to get to her and before he could skid to his knees beside her, a gust of wind rushed past him before he felt contact. Hands shoved him hard and he went flying backwards and into a staircase._

 _He hit his head hard and tried to right himself to look at Lowri._

 _All Steve wanted to do was hold Lowri in is arms, to hold her body and try to keep the warmth inside her body but the next thing he knew, a pain was soaring through his head and his mind seemed to leave the body and all he could see was a red mist._

* * *

 **Thor's Dream**

 _Thor turned in a tight circle, looking all around him. The atmosphere around him seemed to be screaming a celebration, a happy one. People passed by in front, behind and beside him, dressed in the Asgardian best robes._

 _He was back on Asgard._

 _A man in a black cloak covering his head and face passed by in front of Thor and he stepped after him, intrigued as to who he was but Thor was stopped by a hand on his arm._

 _"_ _Is it him?" The voice was booming and very familiar, one of an old friend. "Is that the first son of Odin?"_

 _Heimdall's eyes were very different from those that Thor knew. Instead of the beautiful orange eyes that seemed all, they were all white and rather unforgiving. Heimdall stepped closer to Thor and embraced him warmly._

 _"_ _Heimdall, your eyes." Thor pointed out._

 _"_ _Oh. They see everything." Heimdall answered, "They see you leading us to Hel."_

 _The warm embrace from Heimdall changed from warm to cold and Heimdall's hands from to Thor's neck and he began choking Thor._

 _"_ _I can still save you!" Thor yelled as loud as he could, despite Heimdall's hands around his throat._

 _"_ _We are all dead! Can you not see?" Heimdall asked, squeezing tighter._

 _Thor shoved Heimdall away from him and lightning struck him in his centre._

 _"_ _You're a destroyer, Odinson." Heimdall said angrily._

 _Lightning shot out from Thor and struck one of the bystanders._

 _"_ _See where your power leads." Heimdall's voice seemed far away and then Thor wasn't in the Asgardian palace he called home._

 _There were odd gem stones, more lightning and then thunder finished everything off._

 **Natasha's Dream**

 _Nat found herself on top of a very familiar staircase and dread filled her stomach, she didn't want to be back._

 _But she shakily grasped hold of the bannisters leading down the staircase and she made her way down. Nat passed two girls walking up the stairs, dressed in their leotards, legwarmers and ballet shoes._

 _At the bottom of the stairs, Nat wheeled around to the right and walked right up to the glass window that looked in on the practice room where six tall and lean girls were dancing in perfect harmony with six younger girls looking, a ballet instructor and a pianist in the room._

 _"_ _Again." The ballet instructor ordered in a monotone voice._

 _"_ _You'll break them." Nat said slowly, all of her various training regimes came to her mind and she knew that these girls were going through what she had done._

 _"_ _Only the breakable ones. You're made of marble. We'll celebrate after the graduation ceremony." Madame B said smoothly._

 _"_ _What if I fail?" Nat asked._

 _The scene around her changed. She was no longer facing the practice room but she was at shooting practise, shooting each target perfectly._

 _"_ _You never fail." Madame B said just as Nat shot a man in the head._

 _The room changed again, so did the scene. This time Nat was fighting three grown men, one was already on the floor and one was just thrown into the piano and another has her in a tight headlock when Nat gave up the fight and tapped out._

 _"_ _Sloppy. Pretending to fail. The ceremony is necessary for you to take your place in the world." Madame B said coldly._

 _"_ _I have no place in the world." Nat said slowly._

 _"_ _Exactly." Madame B said as the scene morphed into another. In this scene, Nat is lying back on a gurney, travelling down corridors and through doors quickly and on her way down, she spied two little girls with no mouths. Dread filled her stomach._

 **Steve's Dream**

 _Steve stood in New York once more but not the 21_ _st_ _Century New York which he had grown used to slowly, but an earlier version he was unfamiliar with. This one had grown with the years, it wasn't the 1940's New York he had grown up in._

 _He looked down at himself, wondering why he was wearing sportswear._

 _People around him called out to each other, acknowledging their presence and asking about their families._

 _He stood in a neighbourhood. The road was long and a few cars were dotted around, these were old cars. But they're new now._

 _The houses were tall, with at least three floors and the front gardens were decorated with grass and flowers and bushes and trees._

 _Steve spun in a circle, taking in these grand houses and wondering why on earth was he here._

 _He stopped as soon as he faced the house directly in front of him. The garden was trimmed and clearly cared for with love and devotion, a blue car sat just beside the curb. The door was a startling bright red with flowers hanging on either side of the door, welcoming him in._

 _The house was calling to him and his feet moved instinctively towards the house. He reached for the door and stepped in, immediately, he was welcomed by pleasant and warm colours, a lovely cooking scent floated through the air and photos hung on the walls._

 _Before Steve could peer wonderingly at the photographs, a young boy called out to him._

 _"_ _Dad!" The young boy was stood at the stop of the narrow staircase, he looked about eleven and he was dressed in a school uniform, the shorts with braces, the shirt. The young boy had floppy blonde hair, much like Steve's, but the eyes were different. They belonged to a certain woman that he loved. Who is this boy? Why is he calling him Dad?_

 _"_ _Daddy!" A little girl darted through a doorway to the left of him and barrelled into him, eagerly wrapping her small arms around his legs tightly. She looked about six or seven with long red hair, she wore a long cream nightgown and she was barefoot. Now, Steve's really confused,_

 _"_ _Honey?" Steve practically swallowed his swelling heart as soon as he recognised the voice. Steve followed the little girl and boy through the doorway to his left and entered a large, homely kitchen._

 _The kitchen was laid out spaciously, the counters and cooker lined the walls along with the refrigerator, the colours were warm and welcoming, Steve felt as though he belonged there._

 _An older boy of about thirteen sat at the table, eating a bowl of porridge and reading the newspaper with a serious look on his face._

 _At the cooker, stood a slim woman with her memorable hair twirled up into a bun and held in place by pretty pins, she wore a dress that reached just below her knees and was loose on her figure and had her back to him._

 _Slowly, the woman turned her head to him and her eyes peered into his._

 _Lowri._

 _But, he just saw her getting shot multiple times. She just_ died. _Yet, she looks so alive._

 _"_ _Darling, what's the matter?" Lowri asked, she turned to face him slowly, moving with care and her eyes wandered to the children standing beside him. "James, have you eaten your breakfast yet? Grant, once you're done with your food, can you please put the milk bottles back on the front door step?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Mama." The older boy replied, looking up from his newspaper._

 _"_ _Bella, sweetie, come and help me make breakfast for your papa." Lowri held her hand out to the little girl and bent slightly._

 _Steve's mouth dropped open as soon as he spied the swell of her stomach underneath her loose-fitting dress, she was heavily pregnant._

 _Lowri gently pushed the little girl towards the counter and then she stepped towards him, waddling as she did so. She placed her hands on his arms gently and pulled him down to her then pressed a kiss on his lips gently._

 _"_ _What's the matter, darling? You look as though you've seen a ghost." Lowri said smoothly, she looked up at him with concern as he placed his hands on her bump gingerly, scared in case it disappeared._

 _"_ _Nothing's wrong." Steve said slowly, he dropped his gaze to her bump and a smile grew on his face._

 _"_ _How was your run?" Lowri asked, placing her hands on top his gently, it was then he noticed the gold band adorning his ring finger and Lowri wore a similar one. They're married._

 _He looked at her hands on top of his hands and nodded his head._

 _"_ _Uh, fine. It was good. Refreshing." Steve replied._

 _"_ _Well, sit down. Bella is happy to make her papa breakfast, aren't you sweetie?" Lowri asked the little girl._

 _Steve dropped his hands from the bump and he took a seat at the table beside the oldest boy, Grant. This boy bore the most resemblance to Steve, the boy owned the floppy blonde hair, the nose, the blue eyes. Grant seemed tall, even sitting, he had slight muscle._

 _James, the younger boy had Lowri's eyes but he resembled Steve too much. The chin, the nose, the hair. He was thin but not muscular like his brother. He was similar to Steve before the serum._

 _And the little girl, Bella, she had Lowri's nose, her chin, her face shape, her long red hair but Steve's eyes._

 _This was their family. This was Steve and Lowri's family. Oh, God. This is his family with Lowri, and she's pregnant with their fourth child. Is this a dream? This is so perfect._ Their _family._

 _A plate of waffles was placed in front of him by the little girl, Bella, who smiled prettily at him._

 _"_ _Thank you, darlin'." Steve said, the words came to him easily and it made Bella almost burst with pride as he bit into the waffles._

 _"_ _Good girl, sweetie." Lowri cooed, Bella bounced back to her mother and hugged her around the bump carefully._

 _"_ _How long until I get to be a big sister, Momma?" Bella asked sweetly, placing her tiny hand on the bump._

 _"_ _Two short weeks, sweetie. Baby will be here soon and you can help out all the time." Lowri said with a smile. The little girl looked as if she was going to burst with happiness. "Now, go brush your teeth and tie your hair back, you need to get ready for school."_

 _The little girl, Bella, dashed out of the room and her little feet were heard pounding up the stairs._

 _"_ _Grant, if you're done with your breakfast, can you please go with her and make sure she does brush her teeth?" Lowri asked, looking down at her eldest son._

 _The oldest boy moved to his feet with grace, folding up the newspaper and dropping it onto the table, he wiped at his mouth and Steve could see the height of the boy._

 _"_ _Sure thing, Mama." Grant said, he passed by his mother and pressed a kiss to her cheek before placing his dish in the sink and followed his sister out of the room with long steps._

 _The waffles tasted lovely and Steve leant back, listening to how Lowri chatted with James about his school work and his sports team. By the time Steve had finished his waffles and pushed the plate away slightly, Grant and Bella were back, this time, Bella was dressed in a grey school dress with a pristine white shirt, her long hair tied back into two plaits._

 _"_ _Momma, can I go with Papa to work instead of going to school? We're doing Algebra and I hate Algebra." Bella asked._

 _"_ _No, sweetie. Papa's work is a bit too dangerous for a little girl. Papa works hard for the Government, protecting its people." Lowri said to the little girl._

 _"_ _Yeah, Papa is the spy." James said, he pushed himself to his feet and Steve looked up at him sharply. "Sorry, Papa. I know you don't like us talking about it."_

 _"_ _It's alright, son, it's just family here." Steve said, waving it off._

 _"_ _Oh, look at the time!" Lowri yelped, she moved around the kitchen with surprising speed. "Lunches are in the pantry, Grant, grab them please. James, get your shoes on! Come on, Bella."_

 _Lowri ushered the children into the front hall with them calling out their goodbyes to Steve, Bella's was the sweetest of all._

 _"_ Goodbye, Daddy! I'll see you after school _!"_

 _Steve took hold of the newspaper while the kitchen was quiet and he peered at the date on top of the paper._

May 9th 1961.

 _Sixteen years after the end of the war, there was no ice in his past, present or future, he had simply married the woman he loves and had a family with her._

 _He heard the door slam shut and he looked up in time to see Lowri waddle back into the kitchen, holding her hand to her curved belly._

 _"_ _And peace." Lowri breathed out, the smile on her face was infectious._

 _"_ _For now." Steve added with a smile. "Come sit, you look exhausted."_

 _"_ _You would be too if you had a little person sitting on either your bladder or your spine all day and all night." Lowri said with a smirk, she made her way to the sink and leant on it heavily as she turned the tap to fill the sink._

 _"_ _Hey, let me see to the dishes. You go put your feet up." Steve said, he got up and swiftly made his way over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and he felt the swell of her stomach beneath his hands._

 _"_ _You should go on runs more if you're gonna come home like this each time." Lowri said in a low tone, she turned in his arms and smiled up at him. Steve felt a moment of delirious happiness soar through him and he knew nothing could shake his world._

 _But he was too happy for the universe._

 _Lowri's smile dropped of her face and she became stiff in his arms, she looked up at him with cold questioning eyes and an unforgiving look._

 _"_ _Why didn't you stop Hydra from taking me, Steve?" She asked in a monotone voice which froze the blood in Steve's veins._

 _"_ _What?" Steve asked numbly. He took a step away from her and as his arms fell from her, he watched with wide and horrified eyes as Lowri's stomach shrunk rapidly and her hair fell from its pretty restraints._

 _The lovely home that Steve wanted so badly fell to ruin and rubble around them and fire, intense and harsh fires began burning around them, roaring and raging uncontrollably._

 _"_ _Why didn't you stop Hydra from taking me?" Lowri repeated. "You know that they're up to no good, you knew that they were back. You know they wanted to get their hands on me. You could have stopped them. Why did you let them take me, Steve?"_

 _As Lowri spoke, her beautiful dress that had once accommodated a large bump changed into ripped and burnt pants, a torn jacket, much like the clothes she wore when Hydra took her from the burning remains of Camp Lehigh. Blood began running out of the corners of her mouth and Lowri brought her hand to her mouth, she coughed and spat out three molars into the palm of her hand, she tossed the teeth away and wiped at her mouth, smearing the blood across her cheek._

 _She clenched her fists and unclenched them, as if she was in pain. As she dropped her hands to her sides, blood dripped from her fingers and Steve caught sight of a bloody finger, where the nail had been ripped clean off._

 _Lowri clutched at her chest painfully, groaning._

 _"_ _They took my DNA. They tested on me." Lowri practically whispered, the pain was almost too much for her._

 _"_ _Y-You told me to go. You told me to leave you. You said you knew what you were doing." Steve stuttered, horrified at the sight in front of him._

 _"_ _You should have fought for me, Steve. I always thought you would, but I guess I was wrong." Lowri whimpered. She wiped at her mouth again, smearing more blood across her cheek. Then, her entire body jolted violently and Lowri cried out. A bullet wound appeared in her shoulder, then another in her thigh and another in her stomach._

 _Lowri opened her mouth to say something but then her entire body jolted violently again and another bullet wound appeared in the middle of her forehead._

 _Then she collapsed to the floor with all of her life's blood draining from her._

 _Horror took hold of him, breathing became hard and it seemed as though all was lost as the blackness surrounded him._

The metal underneath her hands were welcoming, it was cooling her down slowly and that's exactly what she needed.

As she lay there, unmoving, Lowri became aware of how much her body was hurting. All of her limbs ached something horrible and her head, ouch, her head was the worst. It was as though her head had been slammed against the floor a million times.

Lowri felt an arm slide around her shoulders and another hand slid beneath her knees, then she was lifted into the air with ease and quickly, it was so sudden that she groaned in pain and mumbled something incoherent.

"Oh my God!" the arms that supported her fully dropped from around her and Lowri fell to the floor and landed with a loud thud.

She hit the floor hard and rolled onto her stomach, she curled into a ball, moving her limbs gingerly as pain spread throughout her entire body, her hand reached for her head and tried to find a spot to soothe the growing headache in the centre of her forehead.

"What the hell?!" Someone yelled at her, "You died! _Did you even die_?" It was Clint. He nudged her side with his foot and Lowri tried to slap it away. "Hey, dead girl. Are you gonna answer me?"

"Maybe if you stop kicking me, I might." Lowri answered weakly. She opened her eyes to the blinding light and looked up at the furious Clint. "And if this headache goes away, I can answer."

Lowri rolled onto her back and spread her arms out, trying to get the cool metal to cool her skin down.

"What the hell happened?" Lowri asked.

"You died." Clint said simply, he crouched down beside her and looked down at her as Lowri peered around at her surroundings. They were still onboard the ship but it seemed to be empty now. No metal suits trying to kill them, no Ultron, no Maximoff twins, not even her team were inside. It was just her and Clint.

"Ow." Lowri whimpered, she pressed her hand to the centre of her forehead, where the pain was emitting. "I can't die."

"You were shot in the head." Clint said, "You stopped breathing."

Lowri muttered a curse word and then accepted Clint's help to get to her feet, she draped her arm over his shoulder and he gripped her waist tight. It was clear that she was in no position to walk.

Clint swept her legs into the air and caught them with his other arm and lifted her up and supported her fully. He began walking across the bridge and towards a set of stairs.

"I don't think I can die, Clint." Lowri said slowly, she was struggling to understand it.

"I checked, Ri. I checked twice. I didn't want to believe it but I checked. You weren't breathing or moving." Clint answered slowly.

Lowri inhaled deeply and looked down at her hands, still struggling. It's happened before.

"Well then, I've effectively died twice and resurrected myself twice." Lowri said in a grim tone. Clint looked at her sharply.

"What?" He asked just as sharply. "You'll need to expand on that statement, Ri."

They made it out of the ship in one piece and Clint carried her carefully over the spanning desert until they reached the jet.

As they walked, Lowri explained.

"Without giving too much away, Howard Stark got into a bit of trouble in 1946 and when I investigated with Peggy Carter, I ended up getting shot at point blank. I must have died and when I came back around, Peggy shouted at me and slapped me. I had this massive headache, like the one I have now." Lowri explained.

"I like this Peggy." Clint said jokingly.

"You better. She was another one of the founders of S. H. I. E. L. D." Lowri said with a smile, but the smile hurt her head.

"Oh, that Peggy! Well, I knew she was badass but to slap and yell at the Amazing Scorch?" Clint teased.

"She's yelled at me many times before." Lowri said softly. "What happened?"

"Uh, that Wanda Maximoff, she's some sort of witch. She's messing with their heads." Clint answered, "They're out of it, they're acted shocked and they're not responding. I had to lock the jet each time I left them there just in case they decided to wander off." Clint shook his head. "Nat is just sitting there and I can't snap her out of it."

"Maybe they'll come out of it on their own? We've just gotta wait it out." Lowri suggested, they were nearing the jet and Lowri's headache was pounding around her skull.

"That's all we can do." Clint sighed, "Tony's off somewhere with Ultron, I think and Bruce left the jet long before I got there."

"We'll have to check the news." Lowri said firmly as Clint opened the back of the jet up. Inside the jet was Steve, Nat and Thor. All of their eyes were open but they were unresponsive. Nat and Steve sat in chairs close to each other near the back of the jet, both extremely pale and both sweaty with horror-struck looks on their faces.

Thor was standing on the other side of the jet, wringing his hands, with the same expression on his face.

"He's moved." Clint said under his breath as he moved towards the table in the middle of the room and lifted Lowri onto it. For the second time that day, Lowri sat on the table. "I think they're still pretty deep in whatever they're in."

Lowri looked around herself at her friends and she breathed out heavily, the pain in her head simply refused to recede and she knew she was in for a long day. Any pain killer she had taken back in 1946 had no effect on her whatsoever.

"All we can do is wait." Lowri said slowly. She looked at Clint and he looked up at her. "Can you get me the first aid kit please? I need to see if our painkillers work. And then start up the jet and look for Tony and Bruce."

Clint nodded his head and passed over the first aid kit before heading into the cockpit and he ignited the engine.

"Search for keywords. Hulk, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Iron Man, Ultron." Lowri called out to him wincing as the pain shot across her forehead and she had to stop rummaging inside the first aid kit until the wave of pain went.

Clint searched quickly and so did Lowri, the pain was getting to her.

"Ri… you better get over here." Clint said slowly in a tone that set Lowri on edge. She shoved the first aid kit away from her and jumped down from the table, she wobbled on her feet and stumbled but she regained her footing and gripped the table, she spied the painkillers hidden under the large bag of safety pins and grabbed them, she headed towards the cockpit and grabbed a bottle of water as she walked.

Lowri twisted the cap off as she walked and peered at the screen in front of Clint. A local news station was reporting on an ongoing fight between the Hulk and Iron Man, now suited up in Veronica.

"Oh my God." Lowri muttered. The fight had destroyed many parts of the town and it was still ongoing.

"This day can't get any worse." Clint declared as Lowri popped two pills into her mouth and she swallowed them down with water.

Lowri leant on the back of the chair, breathing heavily as the pain in her head began receding, she kept her eyes on the screen as it continued to show footage of the ongoing fight. The reporter said that a city-wide clean-up would need to be ordered as soon as the fight was controlled, so far there were no reported casualties but anything could still happen.

"Steve." Clint said slowly. He moved from the cockpit, over to where Steve was now standing, looking around slowly, as if he was in a dream.

"Lowri…" Steve began, Lowri turned and looked at Steve quickly and his eyes met hers, he looked as though he saw a ghost. "I saw her… it can't be…"

Clint moved closer to Steve and turned him away from Lowri, sensing something about Steve, Clint looked back at Lowri and the look told her to turn away.

So, she turned away from Steve and Clint and waited until Clint came back to her.

"He said that he saw you in a dream, that it was a horrible, horrible dream but it was almost perfect." Clint said, looking at her. "He said the dream evolved around you."

"What?" Lowri asked, she glanced at Steve and she forgot everything.

"That Wanda chick must have sent them all into a dream or something. I wonder if it's all the same dream?" Clint asked more to himself. "It must be bad if they're all in this state."

"This is just perfect." Lowri groaned. She leant against the side of the jet and suddenly felt exhausted.

"Do you wanna sit down for a bit? You look tired." Clint asked.

"I did just die." Lowri reminded him with a small smile. "No. I just need a little air." Lowri said, she headed for the exit and had to pass by Steve and the others. She was glad to be outside and she sat down just outside the ramp.

Clnt came out to see her a few minutes later with her bottle of water.

"You know, this witch might come back and try her trick on you." Clint said as he sat down on the ramp just beside her.

"I'd love to see her try." Lowri replied coolly, she turned her head to look at him. "I'm like you. I don't do the mind control thing. Once is enough." Lowri faced away from him and she looked over the desert, "If she comes with her brother again, I'll whip both their asses. They need discipline."

"What happened to 'they're just kids'?" Clint asked almost jokingly.

"Are you really asking me that?" Lowri asked slowly.

She was being cold towards him and she's not even sure why, Clint is the only one to get out of that scrape without injury or a mental attack.

"Look," Clint said, he drew her attention back to him. "Cap said that he saw something that was a horrible dream but it was perfect. Maybe he saw something that he liked too much? He saw you get shot, Ri. I heard him call out your name. I saw the look on his face. Maybe the witch made him see something nice."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Clint. Steve looked scared to see me and if he saw something that turned him against me, I don't think I could do what he did, I don't think I can stick around and watch him be scared of me, or want to hurt me." Lowri said, "I'm not a strong as him."

"You don't have to be." Clint said, "He wanted to give up a few times but we wouldn't let him. You two got a love story that spans decades. Don't you wanna keep the streak?"

Lowri laughed and shook her head.

"Streak? When did you turn into a therapist?" Lowri asked, looking at him with a small smile.

"Since you needed me to be one." Clint said, he nudged her shoulder and smiled. "He'll come back. So, will Thor and Nat."

Lowri was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"How're you coping? I know you wanna go home." Lowri asked.

"Sucks. But I guess the team needs me more here." Clint said, "I'll go back soon. I kinda have to."

"True. I hope it all goes alright for you." Lowri said, Clint smiled warmly at her.

He left her outside and he headed back inside to keep an eye on the other three. Lowri waited in silence, worry eating at her for her three friends inside the jet. The pounding headache had been reduced considerably thanks to the pain killers but her head was still in a lot of pain.

It seemed like hours had passed before Tony made an appearance, flying in his battered suit. Lowri's eyes found Tony making his way towards her with a half-naked Bruce in his arms.

Tony neared and opened his mask and stared at her almost stupidly.

"I thought you were dead." Tony said simply as he landed in front of her. Lowri got to her feet and shrugged her shoulders.

"I was." Lowri replied, she followed Tony into the jet and hit the close button to bring up the ramp.

She hurried over to the cockpit and slid into the seat, barely able to look at Thor, Nat and Steve, all still deep in their dreams. Clint hastily explained to Tony, as they sorted Bruce out, who was recovering from a bad Code Green, about the situation they were in now.

Lowri began the process of starting up the jet and tried to focus her mind on a safe location but all of her safe houses were out in the open, easily accessible by anyone in Hydra.

Clint came up beside Lowri after Tony de-suited himself and after Bruce had been seen to, he put his hands on the back of the seat and leant in closer.

"Do you want me to fly? I can get us to a safe house." Clint asked.

"No. I need to keep myself distracted." Lowri replied, she checked the fuel levels and was pleased.

"Well, just fly us back to America." Clint said, turning from her. Lowri got the jet into the air swiftly and she began heading back to America.

Behind her, Lowri heard Clint warn Tony from approaching her, giving her the space she needs. Then she heard Clint explain how Lowri is still alive.

Lowri was glad that Clint had told Tony to leave her alone. She was glad to ignore their conversation, which seemed to revolve around Ultron, the Maximoff twins and their three friends slowly coming out of their horror dreams.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading, let me know what you think!  
**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers! January sped by and somehow we're in the month of the Six Nations...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Clint came out to see her a few minutes later with her bottle of water._

 _"You know, this witch might come back and try her trick on you." Clint said as he sat down on the ramp just beside her._

 _"I'd love to see her try." Lowri replied coolly, she turned her head to look at him. "I'm like you. I don't do the mind control thing. Once is enough." Lowri faced away from him and she looked over the desert, "If she comes with her brother again, I'll whip both their asses. They need discipline."_

 _"What happened to 'they're just kids'?" Clint asked almost jokingly._

 _"Are you really asking me that?" Lowri asked slowly._

 _She was being cold towards him and she's not even sure why, Clint is the only one to get out of that scrape without injury or a mental attack._

 _"Look," Clint said, he drew her attention back to him. "Cap said that he saw something that was a horrible dream but it was perfect. Maybe he saw something that he liked too much? He saw you get shot, Ri. I heard him call out your name. I saw the look on his face. Maybe the witch made him see something nice."_

 _"I don't know what you want me to say, Clint. Steve looked scared to see me and if he saw something that turned him against me, I don't think I could do what he did, I don't think I can stick around and watch him be scared of me, or want to hurt me." Lowri said, "I'm not a strong as him."_

 _"You don't have to be." Clint said, "He wanted to give up a few times but we wouldn't let him. You two got a love story that spans decades. Don't you wanna keep the streak?"_

 _Lowri laughed and shook her head._

 _"Streak? When did you turn into a therapist?" Lowri asked, looking at him with a small smile._

 _"Since you needed me to be one." Clint said, he nudged her shoulder and smiled. "He'll come back. So, will Thor and Nat."_

 _Lowri was silent for a few seconds before speaking again._

 _"How're you coping? I know you wanna go home." Lowri asked._

 _"Sucks. But I guess the team needs me more here." Clint said, "I'll go back soon. I kinda have to."_

 _"True. I hope it all goes alright for you." Lowri said, Clint smiled warmly at her._

 _He left her outside and he headed back inside to keep an eye on the other three. Lowri waited in silence, worry eating at her for her three friends inside the jet. The pounding headache had been reduced considerably thanks to the pain killers but her head was still in a lot of pain._

 _It seemed like hours had passed before Tony made an appearance, flying in his battered suit. Lowri's eyes found Tony making his way towards her with a half-naked Bruce in his arms._

 _Tony neared and opened his mask and stared at her almost stupidly._

 _"I thought you were dead." Tony said simply as he landed in front of her. Lowri got to her feet and shrugged her shoulders._

 _"I was." Lowri replied, she followed Tony into the jet and hit the close button to bring up the ramp._

 _She hurried over to the cockpit and slid into the seat, barely able to look at Thor, Nat and Steve, all still deep in their dreams. Clint hastily explained to Tony, as they sorted Bruce out, who was recovering from a bad Code Green, about the situation they were in now._

 _Lowri began the process of starting up the jet and tried to focus her mind on a safe location but all of her safe houses were out in the open, easily accessible by anyone in Hydra._

 _Clint came up beside Lowri after Tony de-suited himself and after Bruce had been seen to, he put his hands on the back of the seat and leant in closer._

 _"Do you want me to fly? I can get us to a safe house." Clint asked._

 _"No. I need to keep myself distracted." Lowri replied, she checked the fuel levels and was pleased._

 _"Well, just fly us back to America." Clint said, turning from her. Lowri got the jet into the air swiftly and she began heading back to America._

 _Behind her, Lowri heard Clint warn Tony from approaching her, giving her the space she needs. Then she heard Clint explain how Lowri is still alive._

 _Lowri was glad that Clint had told Tony to leave her alone. She was glad to ignore their conversation, which seemed to revolve around Ultron, the Maximoff twins and their three friends slowly coming out of their horror dreams._

* * *

The skies turned dark around them and by the time Maria called up to give them an update, Thor, Nat and Steve were more responsive.

"The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest but it's in the air." Maria said, Lowri could hear how tense and stressed she was.

"The Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asked.

"Already on the scene." Maria answered. "How's the team?"

Lowri felt a shift in her own posture and she felt tense all over, just waiting for Tony's response. How is the team? Shaken, petrified, terrorised.

"Everyone's… we took a hit. We'll shake it off." Tony replied.

That might be harder than it sounds. Judging by the look on Nat's face, it was going to be hard for her to shake it off.

"Well, for now, I'd stay in stealth mode and stay away from here." Maria said with a sigh.

"Run and hide?" Tony asked slowly, hurt was in his voice. Lowri felt Tony move closer beside her and she could tell he was as tense as her. He had been involved in the fight that destroyed and entire city, all to calm Bruce down.

"Until we can find Ultron… I don't have a lot to offer." Maria said slowly.

"Neither do we." Tony said, he hung up the call and turned to face Lowri. "You wanna switch out, Ri?"

"No. I'm fine." Lowri replied with a shake of her head. She looked up at him with a small smile.

"Where are we heading?" Tony asked.

"I'm not sure. We're just going in any direction yet until we either run out of fuel or we find somewhere to land out of the way and under the radar." Lowri replied, she looked ahead again.

"Fly home, Ri." Clint said as he stepped up beside Lowri. "You know where."

Lowri nodded her head slowly and adjusted her flight plan accordingly. Clint moved away again, leaving Lowri and Tony alone again.

"Did you really die?" Tony asked slowly. Lowri nodded her head and sighed, she switched on the autopilot and spun the chair to face Tony.

"Yeah. I really did die." Lowri said, "It's possible. Apparently."

"But you said it was impossible for you to die." Tony pointed out.

"I come back, Tony. I'm out for like fifteen minutes, half an hour. It's happened before. The first time was your father's fault." Lowri said with a small smile.

"Clint did tell me." Tony said, "Good old Dad…"

"It helped me understand myself better, but I try not to get shot in the head often, my head hurts for hours afterwards and I feel drained for a day or so." Lowri said.

"You should probably rest then, Ri." Tony said.

"I'm fine. I can keep on flying." Lowri said, she looked at him carefully and saw he was looking at her the same way. "You don't need to worry about me."

"I do." Tony said firmly. "You're my God Mother, you've been a part of my life for too long so you can't just die on me."

"Well, you know I'll come back in like fifteen minutes so, don't miss me too much. God knows what you'd get up to if I wasn't here to monitor you." Lowri replied with a smile. Tony smiled back at her and then he left her to fly.

Lowri flew until morning, when the sun began shining on the horizon in front of her, Clint came over to her again. The jet was in complete silence, most of the team was resting.

"Wanna swap out?" Clint asked from beside her. "You look like you're about to pass out in front of the wheel."

Lowri looked up at him and smiled slowly.

"It's not a wheel." She remarked knowingly. Clint rolled his eyes at her and Lowri grinned. "I'm not sure that would be wise anyway, going back there, I mean. I'm not sure what Steve saw but all I know is that he needs space. Away from me."

"You can still give him space. Don't you remember that bed you set up on the right wing?" Clint asked with a knowing smile of his own.

Lowri shrugged her shoulders and kept her hand on the control column.

"Get some rest." Clint ordered.

"Is that an order?" Lowri asked with a hint of a smile.

"If it means that you get some sleep, then yeah. Go, Ri." Clint said and then Lowri relinquished the control of the jet to him and she left the cockpit.

"Yes, sir." She jokingly saluted him as Clint took her seat and took control.

Lowri headed into the right wing and settled on the bed, she lay back gratefully and closed her eyes but sleep evaded her.

No matter how much she desperately needed to sleep and rest but her mind was fully awake and going in circles.

What did her friends see in their dreams? Was it the same dream? Or were the dreams catered to each person? Was the witch able to show them their worst fears or something much, much worse?

Sleep evaded her completely and she lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling as Clint flew them to the safe house.

Lowri knew where they were heading, no one else did though.

They were going to Clint's home, to where his family lives with him when he can. It was a cosy small farm away from civilisation, it sounds harsh but this is what needed to make sure that his family is utterly safe

Lowri is one of the few people that knows about his family and their location, she was the one to choose the farmland for them to live on and it was Nick's job to keep it off S. H. I. E. L. D.'s files.

Clint landed the jet in the nearby woods, close to the farm house and it only a quarter of an hour walk away from the jet to the farm house.

Everyone moved off the jet, Clint first with Nat right beside him, Tony, Bruce, Steve and Thor followed behind, Steve and Thor were more alert than before, this may be because Thor is a God and Steve has the Super Soldier serum, Nat on the other hand, she's mortal.

Lowri lagged behind, feeling worse for the wear and dragged down.

Tony looked just as bad and so did Bruce, they both looked shaken up and pale. Thor was withdrawn, as if he was battling inner demons. Steve was silent, brooding and he refused to look at her.

Lowri, well, she was just exhausted.

"What is this place?" Thor asked as they walked up the path and neared the farm house.

The sun was just rising over the brow of the hill in the distance, lighting up the farm in all its glory.

"Safe house." Tony answered.

"Let's hope." Clint called back, he glanced back at Tony and caught sight of Lowri, they met eyes and he raised his eyebrows before looking ahead and headed up the wooden stairs, he opened the door and edged in slowly with Nat. "Honey? I'm home."

Lowri inhaled deeply as the group moved in through the open door, into the hallway and then through to the large living room. There were toys dotted around the room, on the couch, the floor the table. It brought a smile to Lowri's face as she stepped in.

Laura, Clint's wife, stepped out from the kitchen with a curious and confused look on her face as she peered at Clint.

"Hi. Company." Clint said, leaving Nat and stepping towards his pregnant wife comfortably. "Sorry, we didn't call ahead."

Lowri glanced around the room at the others, all showing signs of surprise. She moved over to Nat and wrapped her arm around Nat's waist, supporting her. Nat leant on her heavily, obviously she was still trying to get over that dream.

"Hey." Laura breathed as she went in for a kiss. Lowri looked away from the couple and looked down at the floor.

"This is an agent of some kind." Tony said slowly.

Lowri wanted to chuckle at Tony's way of handling things.

Clint turned back to the group, keeping a hand wrapped around Laura's shoulder and holding her close.

"Gentlemen, this is Laura, my wife." Clint said.

"I know all your names." Laura said, offering a small smile.

Suddenly, two sets of footsteps thumped down the stairs and Clint moved to the door knowingly.

"Ooh. Incoming." He said happily as a little girl and an older boy around the corner and threw themselves at him.

"Daddy!" The little girl, Lila, cheered as she wrapped her arms around his leg, Clint bent and picked her up easily.

"Hi, sweetheart." He cooed as he picked her up, Cooper, the young boy, hugged Clint around his midriff. "Hey buddy, how you guys doing?"

"These are smaller agents." Tony said uncertainly. He's clearly having trouble with this.

"Look at your face! Oh, my goodness." Clint laughed, he put Lila down on the floor again and she looked up at him happily.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat and Auntie Ri?" Lila asked sweetly.

"Why don't you hug them and find out?" Nat asked, she took some of her weight off Lowri and stepped away as Lila and Cooper turned to them.

Lila threw herself at Nat, almost knocking her over in the process as Cooper walked over to them, he grinned at Lowri and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her firmly.

"Alright there, kiddo?" She asked, hugging him back.

As soon as Cooper stepped away, Lila threw herself at Lowri and she caught her quickly. Cooper went back to his dad and Lowri lifted Lila into the air and swung her around so they were by the couch and she sat down, still with a good view of the room, with Lila beside her.

"Sorry for barging in on you." Steve began, he looked at Laura, then at Clint and his eyes found Lowri's. She looked up and they locked eyes, then he looked away sharply.

"Yeah, we would have called ahead but we were too busy having no idea that you existed." Tony said, he glanced at the kids and then looked at Laura.

"Yeah well, Ri and Fury helped me set this up when I joined. They kept it off S. H. I. E. L. D.'s files." Clint said, he looked at Lowri and smiled knowingly. "I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lie low."

Nat moved towards Laura familiarly and Lowri looked at Lila, still sat beside her.

"How's your schoolwork going, eh? Keeping up with your lessons?" Lowri asked, smiling at Lila.

Lila looked down at the floor, giggling and she refused to meet Lowri's eyes in a childish defiance act.

"Why do you always ask about my schoolwork, Auntie Ri?" Lila asked, she looked up at Lowri. "School's boring."

"I ask because I happen to care about ya little Barton." Lowri said with a smile, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thor look around the room and then he turned and left, Steve threw one last look her way and then followed Thor out. "And school work is very important, Lila." Lowri said, looking back at Lila.

"Do you want to show Auntie Ri your new math problem? Maybe if you ask kindly, she might help you." Laura suggested, she smiled at Lowri.

Lila nodded her head quickly with a grin on her face and she ran off, Laura sat down heavily beside Lowri and leant back against the couch with a sigh.

"Is that your guy?" Laura asked, nodding towards the door where Steve had just gone through. Lowri nodded her head slowly.

"That's him." Lowri replied.

"He's cute." Laura said, she looked over at Lowri carefully. "Come on. While Lila's getting the math problem, you can shower and get yourself clean. You look exhausted. What happened?"

"I died." Lowri said, she dropped her head back against the couch and laughed when she saw Laura's shocked look. "Don't worry. I scared Clint. He tried to pick me up to take me back to the jet and I woke up, and then he dropped me."

Laura snorted and then she got to her feet.

"Sounds like him." She laughed. "Come on. You need to clean up."

Lowri got to her feet and followed Laura out of the living room and up the stairs. Laura shoved Lowri into the family bathroom with Lila's toys scattered around and told Lowri that she'll get clothes for her and towels.

The shower was welcoming and it was nice to get out of her bullet riddled suit. It allowed her to forget. Once Lowri was done, she got out and found the towel and some clothes, which turned out to be a pair of Laura's pre-pregnancy jeans, a white vest and a checked shirt of Clint's that was too big for her.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoyed! I might not update next week as it's very busy for me next week so I'll update another chapter later this afternoon.**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy Wednesday, my lovely readers! I was meant to update this yesterday but time ran away from me...**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Sorry for barging in on you." Steve began, he looked at Laura, then at Clint and his eyes found Lowri's. She looked up and they locked eyes, then he looked away sharply._

 _"Yeah, we would have called ahead but we were too busy having no idea that you existed." Tony said, he glanced at the kids and then looked at Laura._

 _"Yeah well, Ri and Fury helped me set this up when I joined. They kept it off S. H. I. E. L. D.'s files." Clint said, he looked at Lowri and smiled knowingly. "I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lie low."_

 _Nat moved towards Laura familiarly and Lowri looked at Lila, still sat beside her._

 _"How's your schoolwork going, eh? Keeping up with your lessons?" Lowri asked, smiling at Lila._

 _Lila looked down at the floor, giggling and she refused to meet Lowri's eyes in a childish defiance act._

 _"Why do you always ask about my schoolwork, Auntie Ri?" Lila asked, she looked up at Lowri. "School's boring."_

 _"I ask because I happen to care about ya little Barton." Lowri said with a smile, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thor look around the room and then he turned and left, Steve threw one last look her way and then followed Thor out. "And school work is very important, Lila." Lowri said, looking back at Lila._

 _"Do you want to show Auntie Ri your new math problem? Maybe if you ask kindly, she might help you." Laura suggested, she smiled at Lowri._

 _Lila nodded her head quickly with a grin on her face and she ran off, Laura sat down heavily beside Lowri and leant back against the couch with a sigh._

 _"Is that your guy?" Laura asked, nodding towards the door where Steve had just gone through. Lowri nodded her head slowly._

 _"That's him." Lowri replied._

 _"He's cute." Laura said, she looked over at Lowri carefully. "Come on. While Lila's getting the math problem, you can shower and get yourself clean. You look exhausted. What happened?"_

 _"I died." Lowri said, she dropped her head back against the couch and laughed when she saw Laura's shocked look. "Don't worry. I scared Clint. He tried to pick me up to take me back to the jet and I woke up, and then he dropped me."_

 _Laura snorted and then she got to her feet._

 _"Sounds like him." She laughed. "Come on. You need to clean up."_

 _Lowri got to her feet and followed Laura out of the living room and up the stairs. Laura shoved Lowri into the family bathroom with Lila's toys scattered around and told Lowri that she'll get clothes for her and towels._

 _The shower was welcoming and it was nice to get out of her bullet riddled suit. It allowed her to forget. Once Lowri was done, she got out and found the towel and some clothes, which turned out to be a pair of Laura's pre-pregnancy jeans, a white vest and a checked shirt of Clint's that was too big for her._

* * *

Lowri brushed through her hair as it dried and then she stepped out of the room, she headed down the hallway and began walking down the stairs. Lila dashed into view with a bunch of papers in her hand and she grinned up at Lowri.

"Where did you go, Auntie Ri? I looked for you." Lila asked as Lowri neared her.

"Your Mom made me go have a shower, sweetie." Lowri said, she levelled with Lila and then Lila pulled Lowri out through the back of the house and out to the back garden where the table was already set up for a math problem solving session.

The table was close to the house, surrounded by large wooden chairs that dwarfed Lila and had an umbrella covering it.

"Do you come out here to do your homework?" Lowri asked as she took a seat and shook back her now dry hair.

"Yeah. Mommy lets me and Cooper come out here when the weather's nice. I like doing homework out here. But I don't like doing homework." Lila said, she laid out the papers in her hand and looked like she was about to go into an important business meeting.

"Right then, little monster, let's see this math problem then." Lowri said with a grin. Lila grinned back cheekily and presented Lowri with the math problem.

For the first time in a long time, Lowri felt at peace with the world, she felt as though there was no crazy robot out for destruction and that this was a simple visit to her friends' farm.

Cooper was with Clint, who was busy trying to fix one of the broken bannisters on the porch. Steve and Tony were busy chopping up wood for the fire, Bruce had gone off somewhere in the house, Nat was resting and Thor had gone off somewhere.

Lowri let herself forget for a little while, she enjoyed spending her time with the little girl.

Cooper came over and sat down beside Lowri, he watched his little sister work on the problem.

"Mom thinks my school work is going good, Auntie Ri." Cooper said proudly, "She says that if I keep up the rate, I'll get really good results for my exams."

"That's great to hear, Coop. I'm glad you got something from me then." Lowri said with a smirk. Cooper laughed. "To be fair, your Mom is smart. I'm not sure about your dad. I think he's a bit of a birdbrain."

"Daddy won't like that." Lila laughed, Lowri pulled a face at her and smile. "But I'm glad Daddy's home. Does he miss me?"

"You know he misses you both like mad. Heck, I miss you both like mad." Lowri said, she leant in closer to Lila. "He misses you every day."

As Lowri leant back, she turned her head and looked behind her, at Steve and Tony.

Tony had probably never chopped wood before, this must be a new experience for him. The two of them were working hard but they were also talking between themselves and the conversation turned intense.

As Steve and Tony spoke, Steve must have got annoyed at something because he grabbed a piece of wood and tore it in half using his bare hands. Lowri tensed in her seat as Steve took a threatening step towards Tony.

"What's the matter, Auntie Ri?" Lila asked, bringing Lowri's attention back to her.

"Nothing, sweetie." Lowri said, she glanced back at Steve and Tony, she spied Laura making her way over to Steve and Tony, and then she looked back down at Lila. "I'm just worrying about my friends."

Lila looked at Tony and Steve and her mother, she narrowed her eyes and pulled a determined face.

"They can take care of themselves, Auntie Ri." Lila said, shaking her head at Steve and Tony. "They're big men, like Daddy. And Daddy can take care of himself."

"Yeah, your Daddy can. But, my friends need a little guidance." Lowri said, she pushed herself to her feet as Tony pointed towards his smaller pile of wood as if he was warning Steve. "I'll be right back, sweetie. Coop, make sure she finishes this question by the time I come back."

Lowri tapped Cooper's shoulder as she stood up and she headed towards Steve and Tony, but Tony walked off after Laura, stepping confidently.

Steve watched Tony walk away before turning back to his wood chopping, as he turned, he saw Lowri walking towards him and began chopping the wood again.

Lowri came to a halt just a few feet away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched him work, she knew that he knew she was standing just behind him and he ignored her. Why?

"We need to talk, Steve." Lowri said slowly. Steve brought down the axe on another piece of wood hard, slicing the wood in half with the single stroke. Lowri jumped when the axe hit the wood but she kept her arms crossed and breathed through it.

Steve stood up slowly and dropped the axe to the ground by his feet and he turned to her, his gaze wasn't the one he normally had when he looked at her.

"We don't need to talk." Steve said firmly.

"We do." Lowri said just as firmly. "That's the first time you've talked to me all day."

"And that's a problem?" Steve asked curtly.

Lowri raised her eyebrows at him and pressed her lips together, immediately, Steve's eyes softened and his body relaxed.

"What do you want me to say, Ri? I saw you take a bullet to your head. I saw you die." Steve said in a defeated tone. "I saw you die."

"You saw me fall unconscious for a short space of time." Lowri replied.

"You were shot in the head. You were bleeding out in front of me. You weren't moving." Steve snapped. He kept his eyes locked on her, "I saw you stop breathing, I saw the blood leave your body. Do you have any idea of what that was like for me?"

Lowri remained silent, she dropped her defensive stance and her hands fell to her sides.

"It was like a part of me was ripped out and-" Steve cut himself short and looked away from her, as if this was too much.

"I watched you climb onboard the _Valkyrie._ I waited for what felt like hours, just waiting to hear your voice again. I heard your last words before you gave your life for your country and for the rest of the world." Lowri said carefully. She saw him freeze and she knew he was listening to her. "I heard everything you said, and I tried to offer my help. But you refused. You believed that the only way to stop Hydra was to kill yourself. I couldn't do a thing. I was alone for almost seventy years, because you sacrificed yourself." Lowri took a deep breath in. "I know how it was for you, I've felt it too."

Her voice stung with hurt and she felt tears prick at her eyes but she blinked them away. Steve remained unmoving.

"What did the witch make you see, Steve?" She asked slowly.

Steve turned back to her, his own eyes glistening with tears.

"I saw what I've always dreamed for. Something that I've wanted for so many years but I've never been able to have it." Steve replied.

"What was it? What did you see?" Lowri asked gently.

"Us." Steve said, his eyes locked on hers and she was frozen where she stood. "I saw us, you and me. Us as a family, with a house with a garden, a car and children."

Lowri's eyes widened at his words and she didn't know what to say. His dream that was so horrible but also perfect was them as a family?

"We had two sons and a daughter, and there was another child on the way. They were going to school and it was such a- I can't get it out of my head. It was so perfect." Steve said,

"So, you're regretting not having a family with me?" Lowri asked slowly.

"I'm regretting so much." Steve said with a sigh.

"Why are you acting like this, Steve?" Lowri asked.

Steve looked at her sharply as a moment of anger took over him, she felt slightly scared to be in front of him.

"Because that dream reminds me that we can _never_ have that! You can't have children, you're barren. We can't be a family!" Steve snapped.

His voice seemed to echo around Lowri and even though she knew that she was barren, that she couldn't bear children, but hearing Steve practically yell it at her, it stung deep.

"Do you think I asked to be like this?" Lowri asked sharply. Her tone was harsh and Steve flinched, having never heard her talk like this before. "Do you think I like being like this? I grew up with a large family and all I've ever wanted since I was a girl was to have a loving husband and children of my own. I'm cursed to live a barren life." Lowri crossed her arms over her chest again and glared at him. "You shouldn't feel the need to worry about me, Steve. This is nothing to do with you."

Steve's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to sat something but Lowri cut him off.

"We've got a bigger problem arising. I suggest that you move your attention onto that." Lowri said, her voice was full of scorn and she saw him shrink away from her.

She turned from Steve with hurt growing in her chest and all she wanted to do was burst into tears but she pressed her lips together and tried her best to smoothen out the scowl so Cooper and Lila wouldn't worry.

Lowri stepped away from Steve, clenching her hands into fists behind her and with each step, her anger only grew.

How can Steve be angry at her over something that she can't control? It's not her fault that she ended up like this. She had seen her nieces and nephews love her siblings and she yearned for that love. Knowing that she could never feel the love of her own child hurts from the inside.

"Why're you so angry, Auntie Ri?" Lila asked as soon as Lowri took her seat again, her back to Steve. Lowri could see Clint eying her cautiously, as if he sensed something was up with her.

Lowri couldn't help but smile at the little girl but she was still angry at Steve.

"Why is your friend looking at you like that?" Lila asked, she was looking past Lowri and right at Steve.

"Like what?" Lowri asked, she didn't want to look behind her because she was scared that Steve was giving her thunderous looks.

"Like he loves you." Cooper said, he was looking too and Lowri looked at him quickly, then she looked at Lila who was waiting for her answer and then Lowri turned her head slowly, to look at Steve but she missed the moment. Steve was already chopping up wood.

Laura came over to them at that moment, she put her hand on the back of Lila's chair and she saved Lowri from having to answer.

"Go clean up for dinner, kids. You can help me lay the table." Laura said, she smiled down at Lila and Cooper, who gathered up Lila's things and they darted from the table.

Laura pressed a hand to her stomach and she sat down slowly in Lila's chair, sighing slightly as she leant back and looked at Lowri with a knowing look.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Laura asked, "You look like you're about to burst into flames, and please don't, our home isn't fireproof."

"That's a bad choice, Laura." Lowri laughed, making Laura laugh too.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong." Laura prompted, she rubbed her hand over the stomach with a contemplating look and then a look of joy passed over her face. Lowri knew that sign.

"Can I feel?" Lowri asked slowly.

Laura nodded her head and Lowri moved seats quickly, she sat beside Laura and reached over, her hand replaced Laura's on Laura's belly. Lowri felt the strong kick of the unborn child and her feelings almost spiralled out of control.

"I'm still waiting on your answer, Ri." Laura said knowingly. Lowri looked up and took her hand away from Laura's belly, she leant back in her seat and looked at Steve, now that she had a full view.

"I love coming here." Lowri began, "I love seeing you, Cooper, Lila and Clint. I love your family and now you've got little Natasha on the way, well, it's just making me feel nostalgic."

"Why?" Laura asked.

"I lost my family in 1836, they will always be my only biological family. Tony and Bruce ran some tests on me when I was in my coma and they found out that I'm infertile, among other things." Lowri said, she looked up and Laura and then looked at Steve. "Steve brought it up, just now. He had this dream – this girl, a witch – she put visions in his head and he-Steve dreamt of a life that we can never have. In this dream, we had a family, children."

"What did he say?" Laura asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Not much." Lowri said, "But from what he said, it's clear that he pretty much blames me for being infertile and the reason why we can't be a family."

Laura looked at her for a few long moments and then she leant back in her seat, watching both Steve and Lowri.

"Men." Laura said slowly.

"Both of us have taken a huge hit, the whole team has, but I'm not sure if Steve and I can move on from this." Lowri said, Laura pulled a face at Lowri. "No, I'm being serious, Lau. It's the way he said it…"

"Give the poor guy a rest, Ri. Both of you need rest. You said yourself, you effectively died and Nat told me how she's been feeling for the past few hours, so I'm guessing this is what Steve is feeling too. After your coma, you sort of rushed into this so you two haven't had a proper chance to reconnect. Just… wait it out." Laura said firmly, "You can help me with dinner."

"You know I can't argue when you're like this." Lowri said, looking up at Laura as she stood up. Laura grinned down at Lowri. "Pregnant Laura is on the war path."

"Come on. Get up." Laura commanded. She put her hands on her hips and smiled "And little Natasha is little Nathanial."

Lowri stood up slowly and looked at Laura with shock in her eyes.

"But you said the baby was going to be a girl." Lowri said.

"Turns out she is a he." Laura said with a small laugh.

"Lila is going to be the angel." Lowri said, she followed Laura towards the house and glanced back at Steve one final time before going in and she was mildly surprised to see his eyes on her. Was he regretting his harsh words? She tore her eyes from him and headed into the house.

Clint watched as they went past, Lowri ignored the look and followed Laura into the kitchen. Most of the grunt work for dinner was done, but it was odds and ends jobs left to do, which Lowri happily done as it distracted her.

Instead of setting the table, Lila was sat with Nat, chatting away about the bedroom for the new baby which they have to now redecorate and Cooper headed outside to help his dad with the broken bannister.

Dinner was for everyone, all the places were laid out by Lila and they all sat around the table, except for Steve and Tony. Steve chose to eat his food in the solitary outside while Tony was still in the barn.

After dinner was finished and clean up was in progress, Clint and Laura sat with Lila and Cooper on the couch, supervising creative time and Lowri headed up the cleaning. She stood at the sink with her back to everyone else.

She turned to face the commotion as someone new walked in. It turned out to be Nick Fury. She knew that he was alive. She had known ever since seeing him in the cave when he was still recovering, but it had been so long since that meeting in the cave.

They shared a look over the kitchen table and then Lowri turned back to the unwashed dishes and continued washing them. She also knew that sooner or later, she and Nick would have some words.

Steve came into the room soon after Nick and Tony and he stepped gingerly towards Lowri, carefully moving as if not to startle her, Lowri heard his footsteps and she stepped to the side so he could place his plate in the sink and walk away, back over to Nick.

Lowri washed the rest of the dishes in silence, while the others spoke in low tones then she heard them disperse and she dried her hands on one of the tea towels hanging up and she heard someone walk closer and stop a few steps away from her.

"We need to talk." Nick said in a low tone.

Lowri turned to face him, still with the tea towel in her hands and nodded once. She tossed the tea towel onto the countertop and walked just in front of Nick, leading him through the kitchen, through the living toom where everyone else was gathered and then out onto the front porch.

As she walked through the living room, she felt Steve's eyes on her back and she wondered whether his eyes were concerned, love or slight hate.

The sky was dark and the air was thinner and laced with cold but Lowri didn't feel it. She walked down the steps and as soon as her feet hit the grassy front garden, she turned and looked at Nick.

For the first time since she laid eyes on Nick, she felt intimidated by him.

"What the hell is going on with you, Jones?" Nick asked, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at him with his one eye.

"I could ask you the same, Nick." Lowri replied, "You're supposed to be dead."

Nick's expression broke and he smiled. He didn't drop his defensive stance though.

"Tell me what's going on, Ri." Nick said, he sat down on the second step from the bottom and looked up at her. "Stark's got a death wish, Thor's off gallivanting away from the team, Banner's almost lost it and you and Rogers are off."

"Thor is looking for answers." Lowri said, she began pacing in front of him, seemingly to never meet his eye. "Tony's always had a death wish, pretty much since he designed the first suit. Bruce is struggling and coming to terms with different things. And Steve is off with me."

"I think that works both ways, Ri." Nick reminded her.

"Alright, so I'm angry with him. Can't I be angry?" Lowri asked, she still paced and she still didn't look at him.

"No. Because when you get angry, you set things on fire and I'm pretty sure that the Barton's won't be happy if you set their barn on fire." Nick remarked.

"So, Steve hasn't told you what he said to me?" Lowri asked.

"He doesn't tell me about your lover's tiffs." Nick said slowly, Lowri scowled at him and he only smiled.

"Steve blames me for us not being able to live as a family, because I'm not able to give him children." Lowri said, she turned from Nick and began pacing again. "But, I'm not focusing on that because we don't have time to focus on that."

"So, what are you focusing on?" Nick asked slowly.

"Recovering." Lowri said through gritted teeth. Just talking about what Steve said angered her, she clenched her hands into fists and tried so hard not to set things on fire.

"It's good to know that you're still on your game." Nick said.

"I've been in this game a lot longer than everyone else." Lowri said almost smugly.

"You and Rogers will work through this, and you know it." Nick said.

"It's just hard going through it right now. I've never let anyone into my heart but I let him in and so far, it's not working out for me." Lowri said, "Let's go back inside. I'm sure Clint and Bruce will have some questions as to why you're still kicking around."

Nick chuckled and smiled at her, he shrugged his shoulders and then pulled himself to his feet.

"You're probably right." Nick said with a smile.

"Aren't I always?" Lowri asked with a smirk, "Come on. Let's go in."

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy Tuesday, my lovely readers!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _The sky was dark and the air was thinner and laced with cold but Lowri didn't feel it. She walked down the steps and as soon as her feet hit the grassy front garden, she turned and looked at Nick._

 _For the first time since she laid eyes on Nick, she felt intimidated by him._

 _"What the hell is going on with you, Jones?" Nick asked, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at him with his one eye._

 _"I could ask you the same, Nick." Lowri replied, "You're supposed to be dead."_

 _Nick's expression broke and he smiled. He didn't drop his defensive stance though._

 _"Tell me what's going on, Ri." Nick said, he sat down on the second step from the bottom and looked up at her. "Stark's got a death wish, Thor's off gallivanting away from the team, Banner's almost lost it and you and Rogers are off."_

 _"Thor is looking for answers." Lowri said, she began pacing in front of him, seemingly to never meet his eye. "Tony's always had a death wish, pretty much since he designed the first suit. Bruce is struggling and coming to terms with different things. And Steve is off with me."_

 _"I think that works both ways, Ri." Nick reminded her._

 _"Alright, so I'm angry with him. Can't I be angry?" Lowri asked, she still paced and she still didn't look at him._

 _"No. Because when you get angry, you set things on fire and I'm pretty sure that the Barton's won't be happy if you set their barn on fire." Nick remarked._

 _"So, Steve hasn't told you what he said to me?" Lowri asked._

 _"He doesn't tell me about your lover's tiffs." Nick said slowly, Lowri scowled at him and he only smiled._

 _"Steve blames me for us not being able to live as a family, because I'm not able to give him children." Lowri said, she turned from Nick and began pacing again. "But, I'm not focusing on that because we don't have time to focus on that."_

 _"So, what are you focusing on?" Nick asked slowly._

 _"Recovering." Lowri said through gritted teeth. Just talking about what Steve said angered her, she clenched her hands into fists and tried so hard not to set things on fire._

 _"It's good to know that you're still on your game." Nick said._

 _"I've been in this game a lot longer than everyone else." Lowri said almost smugly._

 _"You and Rogers will work through this, and you know it." Nick said._

 _"It's just hard going through it right now. I've never let anyone into my heart but I let him in and so far, it's not working out for me." Lowri said, "Let's go back inside. I'm sure Clint and Bruce will have some questions as to why you're still kicking around."_

 _Nick chuckled and smiled at her, he shrugged his shoulders and then pulled himself to his feet._

 _"You're probably right." Nick said with a smile._

 _"Aren't I always?" Lowri asked with a smirk, "Come on. Let's go in."_

* * *

Lowri followed Nick back inside the house and instead of walking with him back into the kitchen to continue talking with the others, she took a seat on the couch beside Lila and helped her with her drawing.

"What are you drawing, Lila?" Lowri asked gently, leaning in closer.

"A butterfly for Auntie Nat. She needs cheering up." Lila said, she looked up at Lowri and smiled a girlish smile.

"You're very sweet, Lila." Lowri said softly, smiling at the girl's innocence.

"Well, you better finish it soon, sweetie. Your bedtime is coming up." Clint said with a smile, Lila nodded her head and then focused on her drawing and colouring.

Steve appeared in the doorway of the living room from the hallway and looked in, as soon as he saw Lowri, he stepped forward, walked right past her and stopped in the doorway leading to the kitchen and leant against the doorway, his eyes were unreadable.

Clint immediately turned to Lowri and locked eyes with her, he looked at her with a questioning look and mouthed ' _What the hell?_ '

Lowri shrugged her shoulders at him and looked back down at the drawing Lila was proudly showing her.

"Oh, Lila it's beautiful. Auntie Nat will love it. Why don't you give it to her now?" Lowri said gently. Lila grinned up at Lowri, jumped to her feet and ran into the kitchen, darting past Steve in the process.

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself some time." Nick began, Lowri could just about hear him from the living room. "My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium that he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

Lila came running back into the room and Lowri began cleaning up the colouring pencils as Clint helped move the kids towards the door with Laura.

Clint picked Lila up into his arms and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight, pumpkin." He said, he followed Cooper and Laura to the stairs, leaving Lowri in the living room.

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked, Lowri finished up tidying away the colouring pencils and then she headed for the kitchen but she stopped just short of the couch and she could just about see into the kitchen, just past Steve.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. It still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans, though." Nick said as Clint passed Lowri, he nudged her shoulder and smiled curiously as he walked past.

"Is he still going after nuclear codes?" Tony asked, tossing another dart at the dart board.

"Yes, he is. But he's not making any headway." Nick replied.

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony stated. "How come he can't get the codes?"

"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that." Nick answered.

"Nexus?" Steve asked.

"It's the world Internet Hub in Oslo. Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on the earth." Bruce explained.

"So, what did they say?" Clint asked.

"He's fixated on the missiles. But the codes are constantly being changed." Nick said.

"By whom?" Tony asked quickly.

"Parties unknown." Nick answered.

Lowri frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Who has the abilities to outthink an AI? Which one of their allies can do that?

"Do we have an ally?" Nat asked cautiously.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing." Nick said.

"But I reckon, if we find out who this enemy is, we can get him on our side." Lowri said, talking for the first time. Nick looked up at her and nodded.

"We probably can, as long as you turn on your charm." He remarked. Steve turned his head and glanced at her. "We just gotta find out who the guy is first."

"I might need to visit Oslo. Find our unknown." Tony said slowly.

"Well, this is like the good old times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, that you'd have more than that." Nat said.

"I do." Nick said, he looked up and seemed to look at everyone at once. "I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else." Nick looked at Lowri. "You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit and will to save the world." Nick's eyes left Lowri and scanned the rest of the room. "Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave." Nick said, he glanced around the kitchen once more. "So, stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Nat quipped, she smirked and looked up at Steve.

"You know what, Romanoff?" Steve began. Even from behind him, Lowri could tell that he was smiling too.

"So, what does he want" Nat asked, glancing back to Nick.

"To become better. Better than us." Steve said, "He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies. The human form is inefficient." Tony said, "Biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

As they all spoke, everyone in the kitchen began moving closer to the table, as if Nick was a magnet. Lowri moved too, but she remained out of the circle. She came to a stop in the doorway

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed." Nat said.

"They don't need to be protected. They need to evolve." Bruce said, he looked down at the drawing in front of Nat. "Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" Nick asked.

"Has anyone been in touch with Helen Cho?" Bruce asked, looking up at the group.

"Do you think Ultron is going to target her?" Lowri asked.

"She has the Cradle at her research facility in Seoul." Bruce replied, he nodded his head.

"If Ultron wants to build the perfect body, he might go to her." Lowri said, a sinking feeling took root in her stomach.

"Suit up." Steve ordered, he addressed everyone and then everyone dispersed to suit up, leaving Lowri and Nick in the kitchen alone. She moved to the seat beside him.

"Are you going to go with Rogers to do recon?" Nick asked, he looked at her and tilted his head. Lowri shook her head and crossed her arms on the table in front of her.

"That won't be practical." Lowri said firmly.

"You two need to sort your drama out." Nick said, he leant forward on the table too and looked at her.

"Our drama." Lowri scoffed. "It's more than a drama. He's blaming me for something I can't control and I can't forgive him that easily."

She shook her head and then got to her feet abruptly.

"I'm going to suit up." Lowri said, Nick watched her leave the room.

Lowri quickly changed into her bullet riddled suit and stepped in the hallway where everyone else was already there. Clint and Laura were saying their goodbyes and Nick was grabbing his coat.

"I'll take Nat and Clint." Steve said entering the hallway with Tony beside him, they walked the length of the hallway and stopped just by the door. "Lowri can come with us too, she can fly the jet with Barton."

Steve barely glanced at her as he spoke.

"Alright. Strictly recon." Tony said, "I'll hit the Nexus. I'll join you as soon as I can."

Lowri pressed her lips together and then pushed off from the wall, she made for the front door and paused just beside Steve and Tony.

"I'll hit the Nexus with Tony. Clint can fly the bird." Lowri said sharply, she looked up at Tony. "I hope you can keep up." She said as she brushed past Steve. It gave her a little satisfaction.

There was silence behind her for a few seconds before Tony said something to Steve and they started talking again as Lowri passed through the front door. She leant heavily on the bannister on the front porch and over looked the front yard. She could hear what they were saying clear enough.

"If Ultron is really building a body…" Steve trailed off hesitantly.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us." Tony sighed, "An android designed by a robot."

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." Steve said jokingly.

"I'll drop Banner off at the Tower. You mind if I borrow Ms Hill?" Nick asked.

"She's all yours. Apparently." Tony remarked.

"What are you gonna do?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." Nick said with a laugh. "Where did Jones go?"

"Out there." Tony said.

Lowri heard Nick's footsteps approach her and she steeled herself for another lecture about sorting out her drama with Steve but instead, Nick leant against the bannister beside her.

"Got any ideas for something dramatic?" Nick asked, surprising Lowri.

"Uh, I'm sure you can think of something dramatic, Nick. That's more your language." Lowri remarked, earning herself a smile and a laugh from Nick.

"Need I remind you of the time that you belittled the first contractor we got to work with?" Nick asked with a laugh. "But true. I found that you're not like me."

"He called me doll and told, not even asked, me to get a coffee for him." Lowri said, "It's what he deserved."

"There's a reason why we kept you away from contactors." Nick said.

Lowri shrugged her shoulders and looked back over the front yard and then she turned back to Nick.

"We have a certain ally hiding the shadows. You know who he is. If you can get in touch with him, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to offer something to help." Lowri said.

"Theta protocol?" Nick asked under his breath.

"The very same." Lowri replied.

Nick smiled at her and then chuckled.

"I think drama is more your language." He said, he stepped backwards and chuckled again, "How long have you been funding that for? God, I hope this works."

Bruce came out of the house and he looked at Nick straight away.

"Ready?" Nick asked before turning away from Lowri and stepping towards Bruce, he headed down the stairs and Bruce followed him.

Tony came out of the house and stopped beside Lowri as Steve, Clint and Nat came out of the house and headed towards them.

"You ready to go?" Tony asked as Steve and the others passed by them. Steve never looked their way as he walked by and Tony looked at Lowri straight away. "Brrr. You can feel the ice."

"Shut up." Lowri said, she scowled at Tony but then she saw Steve turn around to look at her as Clint and Nat continued along the path. Steve's eyes locked on hers and she felt a tugging at her heart but then he turned and walked away.

She clenched her hands into fists and scowled at Steve's back. She followed them down the steps but she stopped just a few feet away from the steps, waiting for Tony.

"What's up with you and Cap?" Tony asked as he followed her down the steps, he gestured towards Steve's retreating back. "There's definitely something going on between the two of you."

"There is." Lowri replied, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Steve and the others, she looked up at Tony. "Call your suit."

"Do you wanna tell me?" Tony asked gently, still not calling his suit.

"Nope." Lowri said, she summoned her fire and jumped into the air, flying off quickly and she left Tony behind. Maybe she should tell Tony, she shouldn't have left him there but she knew it was a long way to Oslo and she knew that Tony would be able to catch up with her in a heartbeat.

Which he did.

" _Something's eating at you._ " Tony pointed out. " _You can tell me._ "

"I know. It's Steve. He's being... I don't even know how to explain it." Lowri replied.

" _Has he said something?_ " Tony asked.

"He's said something stupid. I don't think he meant it but it hurts." Lowri sighed. "He's angry at me over something I can't control."

" _That doesn't sound like Cap._ " Tony said,

"It's what that witch showed him. She showed him a vision of a family that we had in the 1960's and now he blames me because I can't give him that vision." Lowri explained.

" _That sounds far too happy. But it also sounds like him. you two need to talk it out._ " Tony said. " _You both need to man-up._ "

"For a moment there, I thought you were being sincere." Lowri remarked with a smile.

" _You know me too well, Ri_." Tony said. " _Come on, this pace is too slow. Grab hold and I'll speed up._ "

Lowri did what he said and grabbed hold, she kinda knew that she couldn't keep up with him.

The flight was cut short considerably and in no time at all, Lowri and Tony landed in the Hub in Oslo. The employees at the Hub was more than happy to admit them both into the hub and Tony was led to the centre of the network so he could begin his work while Lowri was shown to the staff shower block and one of the girls gave her some civilian clothes since Lowri's suit was riddled with bullet holes.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading, I hope you enjoy**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	13. Chapter 13

**First of all, massive apologies for not updating this week or last week, I honestly don't know why I didn't update! Very sorry!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

"Something's eating at you." Tony pointed out. "You can tell me."

 _"I know. It's Steve. He's being... I don't even know how to explain it." Lowri replied._

"Has he said something?" _Tony asked._

 _"He's said something stupid. I don't think he meant it but it hurts." Lowri sighed. "He's angry at me over something I can't control."_

"That doesn't sound like Cap." _Tony said,_

 _"It's what that witch showed him. She showed him a vision of a family that we had in the 1960's and now he blames me because I can't give him that vision." Lowri explained._

"That sounds far too happy. But it also sounds like him. you two need to talk it out." _Tony said. "You both need to man-up."_

 _"For a moment there, I thought you were being sincere." Lowri remarked with a smile._

"You know me too well, Ri." _Tony said._ "Come on, this pace is too slow. Grab hold and I'll speed up."

 _Lowri did what he said and grabbed hold, she kinda knew that she couldn't keep up with him._

 _The flight was cut short considerably and in no time at all, Lowri and Tony landed in the Hub in Oslo. The employees at the Hub was more than happy to admit them both into the hub and Tony was led to the centre of the network so he could begin his work while Lowri was shown to the staff shower block and one of the girls gave her some civilian clothes since Lowri's suit was riddled with bullet holes._

* * *

Lowri approached the platform where Tony and the other members of the Nexus Hub were all stood. Tony was bust typing on the keyboard.

"It's pretty simple. You bring a magnet." Tony said as Lowri stepped up onto the platform beside him. She gazed around at the technology around her and she felt very out of place. " _Oh, I'm decrypting nuclear codes and you don't want me to."_ Tony sang as he typed furiously and then he looked up with a flourish. "Come and get me."

"Any luck yet?" Lowri as she stepped beside him and looked at the computer he worked on.

"Not yet." Tony replied as his hands were flying over the keyboard. "These nuclear codes are tough to hack."

"Even for you?" Lowri asked with a smirk, Tony looked over at her and saw the smirk on her face.

"Even for me." Tony admitted, "How're you feeling now?"

"Still kinda angry." Lowri shrugged her shoulders and she looked around the room. "I can remember when all computers had wires coming out of them and they didn't have the internet."

"Times have changed." Tony said with a knowing smile. He glanced at Lowri and then froze. "Ri, you don't need to be here."

"I know. I thought you'd want the company." Lowri replied.

Tony gave her a knowing look and behind them, there was movement behind them and Lowri turned her head slightly to see the supervisor of the workers were making them move away from Lowri and Tony.

"Do you wanna hear my advice?" Tony asked.

"Shoot." Lowri said, "You're gonna tell me anyway if I disagree." She looked back at Tony.

"Like I said before, you need to man up and talk to him." Tony said, "You can't help being what you are and he's gonna have to live with it. You should go to him now. I don't need you here and you'd be better on recon, you know this, you're just trying to hide from him."

"You just wanna be alone with the tech." Lowri said with a small smile, she was already pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"You know me too well." Tony replied with a smirk.

Lowri stepped away from Tony with a smile on her face as she called someone she knew she could trust and would bring her a really fast jet.

"It's a new prototype we've got up and running. You'll like it. It's fast. Faster than any jet around."

"Great. That's exactly what I need it for. I need to get to Seoul from Oslo, like quick." Lowri said as she paced outside.

"Don't worry. I think you'll be happy with it."

Lowri suddenly heard the tell-tale sound of a jet engine and she turned and looked up. In the air, hovering above her was a jet.

"Bloody hell that was fast." Lowri laughed.

"Told you. It's a new prototype."

The jet landed in the car park she stood in and she headed over, still on the phone, she glanced in as the back of the jet opened up and she found there was no pilot.

"No pilot?" Lowri asked with a hint of a smile.

"At the moment, it's on autopilot. But it can be flown with a pilot. I know you like to fly."

"Thanks." Lowri breathed out, she stepped into the back of the jet and walked right up to the cockpit, the door closed behind her and she slid into the pilot's seat and she began familiarising herself with the jet.

She got the jet into the air swiftly and headed for Seoul, with the new navigation system, she tracked her flight plan and found that instead of a long thirteen-hour long flight, it would only be three hours. It amazed her, this jet was capable of new speeds.

As she flew, her mind went back to her argument with Steve. She hates arguing full stop, let alone arguing with the man she loves. She knew he was wrong, to blame her for something she couldn't control, but she was in the wrong too.

They needed to talk this through, which is exactly what Tony had suggested.

Lowri reached Seoul in record time but she had no way of communicating with Steve, Clint or Nat because she had left her earpiece with her suit, in Oslo.

She had no idea how the recon mission was going.

Lowri made contact with Seoul airspace and managed to get permission to land on a shut off road just so she could scout the area better. The main road was shut off and traffic was diverted away. She switched off the controls and stepped out of the jet.

People stared. Of course, when this happens, people expected military personnel of high ranking to step out instead of a woman in civilian clothing.

As Lowri locked up the jet, her phone rang so she pulled it out of her jacket pocket.

"Hello?" She asked. She paused just outside the jet and looked at all the possible routes she could go.

"Ri. Where are you? Are you still with Stark? Are you at the Tower?" Clint asked sharply, he sounded panicked.

"No, I just landed in Seoul. Where are you?" Lowri asked. "Is Nat and Steve with you?"

"No." Clint answered. "I've got the body Ultron was building and I'm taking that back to the Tower. Steve's on the ground somewhere and Nat's been taken by Ultron."

Lowri cussed loudly and then turned to face the jet.

"Do you know where Steve is?" She asked.

"He was on a train the last I heard of him. But I lost track of the train." Clint said, just as he finished talking, Lowri heard an ear-splitting screech to the right of her and she spun to see a large train in the distance, coming down the road at her. The train was braking, it was clear and there was a gentle red mist surrounding the train and there was flashes of blue in front and at the side of the slowing down train.

The train was digging up the concrete road and tearing through the market stalls set up on the side of the street, Lowri dropped the phone and she was about to step off, to see if she could help but then all of a sudden, all of the pedestrians were safely out of the way and Pietro Maximoff collapsed onto an upturned crate, breathing heavily and just in front of the train that was now stationary.

The gathering audience immediately stepped forward and surged towards the train as the civilians onboard the train tried to get out.

Lowri picked up the phone and checked to see if the call was still active, luckily it was and Clint's voice was coming through the speaker, panicked, asking what was going on.

"The train is off tracks and on the street. Call in clean-up. The road is destroyed." Lowri said, "It's manic down here, one of the Maximoff twins just saved loads of people, he ran around the train and moved them out of the way and the other one, the witch, I think she stopped the train."

"Are they with us now?" Clint asked with a scoff.

"I'll find out." Lowri promised. "You focus on getting that body to Tony and Bruce."

"On it." Clint said then he hung up and Lowri slid her phone away into her jacket pocket, she stepped off for the commotion down the street, somewhat thankful for the distraction so all eyes were on the train instead of the strange jet parked up the road.

Lowri was hidden by the crowds as she neared, she saw the hundreds of estranged civilians practically falling off the train into the arms of waiting helpers. They looked shaken, pale and sweaty.

She spied the witch tumble from the train, recover her footing and she dashed for her brother and almost threw herself at him with such a worried look and for a long moment, Lowri was taken away from this terrible moment and taken back to another.

Her mind went back to just after her thirteenth birthday when she found out that her brothers had no choice but to find work down in the mines since their home farm was struggling, there had been an accident down the mines when her brothers were down there. She remembered the horror and the worry and the scared feeling. She could remember herself throwing herself at her brothers, relieved to see that all had survived.

Lowri was snapped back to reality when Steve stepped out of the train and rounded the front to meet the Maximoff twins, his chest was heaving and his suit looked worse for the wear, and he had a split lip.

Worry immediately took root in her stomach and she forgot that she was angry at him and he was angry at her.

How the hell did this mess happen?

Lowri pushed forward again so she neared the Maximoff twins and Steve. She could hear what they were saying.

"I'm very tempted not to give you one." Steve said in a serious tone, from behind him, Lowri could tell that he was on the verge of being exhausted, but even so, the Maximoff twins looked up at Steve with the look of a child being scolded.

"The cradle, did you get it?" The witch asked, she turned towards Steve and looked at him unblinking.

"Stark will take care of it." Steve replied.

Wanda took a step backwards, as if Steve had stung her or something.

"No, he won't." Wanda breathed.

Steve was silent for a moment, probably watching Wanda carefully.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Steve said, "Stark is not crazy."

"He will do anything to make things right." Wanda insisted.

Steve turned away from Wanda and away from Lowri.

"Stark, come in. Stark?" Steve said, he sighed, "Anyone on comms?"

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that from?" Wanda asked after a moment's silence.

Lowri finally made it out of the surging crowds and she stepped over to Steve and the Maximoff twins, who spotted her first and looked at her with a hint of terror and caution.

"I'm here, Steve." Lowri said as she stepped closer. Steve froze and seemed to listen harder, then he turned and looked at her with mild concern and surprise in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quickly.

"Tony decided that I was better suited to a recon mission." Lowri said smoothly, she looked up at him, trying hard to forget that she was angry with him. "And it's a good thing I'm here. Clean up is on the way."

"So, he's not with you?" Steve asked, he looked away from her and looked around.

"I left him in Oslo." Lowri answered, "I've got a jet down the road. We need to go."

Steve was looking at Lowri in a way that she had no idea how to explain and in a way that he had never looked at her in that way before.

Then he looked away from her and turned to the Maximoff twins with one of his stern looks.

"You two are coming with us." Steve said and the two of them looked up at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. "You just proved that you're no longer with Ultron. Either you stay here or you come with us and fight against him."

Lowri turned from them and headed back down the road, the gathering crowds simply parted for her. As she walked away, her stomach churned uncomfortably. She knew there was a big fight coming up and that they may not all walk away.

She heard Steve move after her with two more sets of footsteps, she led them to the jet and climbed in first.

This jet was smaller than the jets she's used to flying so it was a bit of a squeeze for Steve and the Maximoff twins in the back.

Lowri spent about five minutes talking with Seoul airspace to organise the safe departure and got them to alert the authorities about the train in the middle of the street then she finally got the jet into the air and back to New York.

"I didn't know you could speak Korean." Steve's voice startled her from behind. He stood in the doorway separating the cockpit from the rest of the jet and he looked a little uncomfortable. His shield and his helmet were off and he looked down at her.

"One of the few things I picked up along the way." Lowri replied with a smile, Steve gave her a small smile then looked serious again.

"Can we talk?" He asked.

Lowri tapped the co-pilot's seat for him to sit down and Lowri tried to work out the auto-pilot. Steve got himself into the seat, just as Lowri worked out the auto-pilot and then she turned her body to face him.

"I think we need to address the train issue, lying in the centre of a busy Seoul road." Lowri said, "Why?"

"That's on Ultron." Steve said slowly.

"I think you need to explain more." Lowri prompted him.

"Nat and Clint worked to get the body away from Ultron's suits. I distracted Ultron. This did mean fighting on top of a moving truck and then we crashed into the train. I wouldn't have picked that route of distraction if I had the choice. But, as far as I know, no civilians were injured." Steve said, giving her a report.

"I've already assigned Clint to clean up, and I've alerted the authorities. And Clint is moving the body to Stark Tower." Lowri said, "Hopefully, this incident won't come back to bite us on the ass. We need to keep low."

"I'm sorry." Steve said slowly.

"What for?" Lowri asked.

"For everything." Steve said firmly. "But mostly for saying the stupid things I said. It was uncalled for, you didn't deserve it."

Lowri pressed her lips together and looked down at the floor with her hands clasped.

"I really shouldn't have said what I said, but it's just… seeing that dream made me realise what we can't have and it rocked me." Steve continued.

"That hurt me, Steve." Lowri said looking up. "You're angry at me for something I can't control."

"I know, I know. And I apologise. It was stupid at me to shout at you like I did." Steve said quickly

"Yeah," Lowri said, she locked eyes with him, "It was stupid of you." Steve looked at her with slight hurt in his eyes but he didn't say anything. "Seventy years later and you still don't have a bloody clue about women."

Steve's expression changed immediately and he chuckled.

"I can only agree with that." Steve chuckled.

Lowri smiled, they were back on good terms once more and it felt so damn good.

"Good. Let's agree to forget about this little issue… we've been through enough as it is. We don't need any more drama." Lowri said.

"Agreed." Steve smiled. He leant back in the seat and looked out at the horizon. "How long have you known about Clint's wife and kids?"

"Since the beginning." Lowri said, "I kinda chose the plot of land."

"Wow." Steve said slowly, he looked back at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "So, a long time then."

"Yeah. When Clint came to us, he was newly married and Cooper wasn't on the way yet, but he was there pretty quickly. They wanted to settle down in a nice home so Nick and I got the farm up and running. Laura is great at it." Lowri explained.

Her phone bleeped in her pocket and pulled it out, it was Clint.

 _The cradle is with Stark. He's happy like a kid at Christmas. Have you got Cap? No sign of Nat?_ – Clint

 _No sign yet, but she'll show up. Try using the old spy network, my kind of stuff. And yeah, got Cap._ – Lowri

"Who's that?" Steve asked, nodding towards the phone.

"Clint." Lowri said, sliding her phone away. "He's asking if I had you and if Nat was still missing."

"I don't know what happened to her." Steve said, shaking his head.

"I think Ultron got her. But, she's smart. She'll try to use the old spy stuff that I taught her. I told Clint to look out of for those." Lowri said, "I hope she's okay."

Steve nodded his head to agree.

He stayed with her throughout the short journey back to America, chatting about the simple things and once Lowri landed the jet atop of the Tower, Steve headed back out to the Maximoff twins to escort them down to the others while Lowri stayed up with the jet to contact the supplier.

She had to leave a message because her contact wasn't picking up the phone. Lowri locked down the jet and then headed down to the labs, where she guessed where the others would be.

She neared an open door and heard raised voices.

* * *

 **Again, I am sorry for not updating these last two weeks, it baffles me!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	14. Chapter 14

**It seems Tuesdays are getting busier and busier for me... I am very sorry to those who are waiting!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

"Banner, after everything that's happened…" Steve trailed off as Lowri stood in the doorway and took in the scene, she was stood just behind the Maximoff twins and Steve.

Both Tony and Bruce were clearly doing something to the cradle, something that wasn't good and it was clear that Steve wasn't happy about it.

"It's nothing compared to what's coming." Tony snapped.

"You don't know what's in there." Wanda protested.

"This isn't a game." Steve said sternly.

Lowri stepped further into the room and she looked around, Tony was stood by the computer screens and it was flashing with all sorts of information while Bruce was stood closer to the small monitor on the cradle, tapping on it.

Pietro suddenly sprinted around the room, pulling all of the wires out of the cradle and then he skidded to a halt just beside the cradle with a large wire in his hand.

"No, no. Go on." Pietro breathed, he threw the large wire to the side just as the cradle beside him and the machines surrounding the cradle began beeping like crazy.

Lowri stumbled backwards involuntary. It was as if something invisible pushed both her shoulders back and hit her chest, hard. She found it hard to breathe and it was as though she was sucked from the room and shoved into another.

This one she didn't recognise but she felt pain in her chest and feeling that familiar panicking feeling. She came back to the room when her back hit a pillar hard. There was black edging her visions and she struggled to see.

Suddenly, a loud gunshot sound echoed around the room and Lowri jumped at the sound, Pietro fell through the glass he stood on. Lowri's eyes cleared up but there was still a vice clamped onto her lungs, making it hard for her to breath.

"Pietro!" Wanda cried, she moved to the hole in the floor and peered through it.

Tony turned back to the computers and tried to stop the beeping.

"I'm rerouting the upload." Tony stated just before Steve threw his shield directly at the computer Tony was working on, the shield bounced off and onto another, cracking both screens.

Tony turned on Steve while simultaneously summoning his Iron Man hand, he shot Steve in the chest and Steve went flying backwards, taking Lowri with him.

They went tumbling backwards and Lowri hit her head pretty hard, she rolled away from Steve and tried to get a bearing on the room but everything was disorientated. Before she had even sat, up, he back was on his feet and heading for Tony.

Bruce had Wanda in a tight headlock, threatening her and Clint came running up the stairs with his gun loaded.

Lowri's mind was foggy and she reached for the walls numbly.

Wanda slipped out of Bruce's grip and turned on him as Steve was blasted away again and Lowri stumbled to her feet and looked around the room as Thor made a big entrance.

Clint was suddenly beside Lowri with his hands around her shoulders, supporting her partly. They both looked up at Thor as he stood on top of the cradle, Lowri clutched at Clint's arm as he supported her.

"Are you alright, Ri?" Clint asked in a low voice, so only she could hear. Everyone else was focused on Thor. Lowri nodded her head slowly.

"Wait!" Bruce yelled as Thor lifted his hammer into the air and summoned the lightening.

Thor directed the lightening directly at the cradle and all the lights in the room began blinking rapidly, all the monitors around the room began beeping once more and Lowri felt herself slip once more.

Clint kept a tight hold on Lowri as the silence grew around them and then all of a sudden, the cradle burst open and Thor was knocked backwards.

Clint and Lowri ducked as flying shrapnel was thrown outwards and then all eyes went to the figure that emerged from the cradle.

The skin was dark red and the eyes that peered around the room were slightly scary. There was a yellow gemstone in the centre of the figure's forehead. The scary eyes settled on Thor and the figure dove at Thor.

The two of them wrestled in the air until Thor shoved the figure through a glass pane and the figure tumbled out into the large space just outside the window.

The figure spun and spun until it came to a stop just before it reached the windows overlooking the large city. It paused mid-air, floating, as if it was admiring the view.

Thor jumped over the gap and through the hole in the glass wall, he landed on silent feet as the rest moved the old-fashioned way. Steve jumped over too and Thor held up a hand to stop Steve from advancing.

Clint kept his arm around Lowri as they headed over to the space where the figure was.

There was a silence as everyone kept their eyes on the lone figure, slowly, the red body became covered in a black suit and then the figure turned to face the group.

"I am sorry." The voice that came out of the figure sounded a lot like Jarvis, but yet, at the same time it didn't. The figure landed beside Thor and his scary eyes scanned the group. "That was odd." Then the eyes settled on Thor. "Thank you."

Thor eyed the figure carefully and seemed a little alarmed when the figure seemed to grow its own cape to match Thor's.

"Thor." Steve said as he stepped forward, authority rang in his voice. "You helped create this?"

"I've had a vision." Thor announced. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its centre is that." Thor said, he spoke to the group but he looked directly at the figure and gestured to the yellow gemstone in the centre of its forehead.

"What? The gem?" Bruce asked.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones." Thor said, as soon as he said Infinity Stones, something triggered inside of Lowri. She straightened up and shook off Clint's arm. Her mind recognised the words. "The greatest power in the universe, unparalled in its destructive capabilities."

"Then why would you bring-" Steve began but Thor cut him off.

"Because Stark is right." Thor said.

"Oh, it's definitely the end times." Bruce said jokingly.

"The Avengers cannot beat Ultron." Thor stated.

"Not alone." The figure added.

"Why does your vision sound like Jarvis?" Steve asked.

"We reconfigured Jarvis' matrix to create something new." Tony said, stepping forward.

"I think I've had my fill of new." Steve muttered.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" The vision asked.

"You're not?" Steve asked.

The vision shook his head. "I'm not Ultron. I'm not Jarvis. I am… I am." The vision said, he trailed off and looked around at the group gathered around him.

"I looked into your head and saw annihilation." The witch said slowly.

"Look again." The vision prompted.

"Her seal of approval means jack to me." Clint scoffed.

"Their powers," Thor began, gesturing to the Maximoff twins, "The horrors in our heads," He continued, turning back to the rest of the group, "Ultron himself, came from the Mind Stone. And they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side-"

"Is it?" Steve asked sharply. "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple." The vision replied.

"Well, it better get real simple, real soon." Clint said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't. He will end it all." The vision replied.

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked.

"You." The vision answered.

"Where?" Bruce asked.

"Sokovia." Clint answered, he stepped forward. "He's got Nat there too."

"If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…" Bruce began his warning but he trailed off.

"What will you do?" Vision asked.

Bruce didn't answer the question, no one did.

"I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built. Every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now." The vision said. "And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go."

The vision finished speaking with his own flourish, without being noticed as he somehow had drawn all eyes to him, he picked up the hammer but now he lifted it with ease and offered it to Thor, leaving everyone present, speechless.

Thor took hold of the hammer silently and the vision walked off, leaving the group in silence.

"Right." Thor said, he gripped the hammer in both of his hands and looked at the rest of the group but turned to where the vision had walked off, then stepped after him and patted Tony on the shoulder as he passed. "Well done."

There was silence for a few moments as everyone took in the vision's last movements.

"Three minutes." Steve said firmly, he looked around the group and then his eyes settled on Lowri. "Get what you need."

Lowri turned on her heel and headed for the elevator as soon as Steve finished speaking. She felt trapped whilst she still wore civilian clothes that hadn't been treated with a fireproof chemical.

Steve followed her shortly, he put his hand through the closing doors and opened them, he looked at her with eyes full of concern and she said nothing.

"I thought we were on speaking terms." Steve noted as he pressed the button for his floor.

"There's not much to talk about." Lowri replied, she looked up at him with a gentle look in her eyes.

"How about a few minutes ago when Clint was holding you up? Are you okay?" Steve asked, tilting his head at her.

"It was a weak moment." Lowri replied smoothly. "A minor setback."

"What happened, Lowri?" Steve asked firmly.

"When all that beeping was going on in the lab, it set something off in the back of my head." Lowri said, "I was in a dark room. With one light and three men. One held my legs down, another held my hands in a vice lock with damp clothes wrapped around my limbs. Some sort of new torture method. The third held a set of pliers drenched in my own blood."

Steve looked at her with wide eyes but he said nothing, it was clear he was unable to.

"That noise somehow took me back to London, 1837." Lowri said, "I don't particularly like going back to visit those memories. I tend to push them far back."

The elevator doors opened and Lowri moved to step out, and as she reached the doorway, Steve gripped her wrist and she turned back to him.

"I'm sorry I asked. But you can talk to me any time you want." Steve said earnestly.

Lowri offered a small smile and then went onto her toes and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Steve." She said quietly, "I'll see you up there."

She turned away from him and stepped out onto her floor, she escaped into her rooms and quickly changed out of the civilian clothes and into one of her suits. She tied her hair back into a plait and tucked it away as she slid her guns into her holsters around her thigs, then she made her way back up to the main floor where most were already gathered.

Lowri felt back in control of her body, all early memories were pushed back into the back of her mind and she felt ready to fight once more.

Tony, Bruce and Steve were sat together in the locker room, talking together in almost jokey tones. As Lowri came up out of the lift, she heard what they were saying.

"No way we all get through this. If even one tin solider is left standing, we've lost. There's gonna be blood on the floor." Tony said.

"I got no plans tomorrow night." Steve said with a smirk.

Lowri saw the smirk as she walked towards them, she was adjusting the straps on her wrists. She stepped out with her next words already on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes, you do." Lowri said as she walked past, she looked directly at him and paused slightly. Steve looked up at her with a surprised look. "You and I are going out on our first date." She informed him, then she carried on walking out of the locker room.

She knew that he had a gormless look on his face now. Lowri grinned to herself as she entered their jet, crossed to the cock pit and strapped herself in before beginning the process of starting the jet up.

Clint joined her in the cockpit a few minutes later with a knowing smile on his face but when Lowri asked what was up, he refused to say anything until he had buckled himself in and turned his head to her.

"So, I hear you and Cap are finally going on a date." Clint said with a grin.

"I'm glad that news travels fast around here, at least I don't have to tell anyone now." Lowri joked.

Behind her, she heard Tony's voice loud and clear, teasing Steve practically mercilessly

"He told Nat and I when we got on board." Clint said, "Poor Steve blushed."

"Poor him." Lowri said, "Is everyone on board?"

"Yeah. All ready to go." Clint replied.

Lowri got the jet into the air easily and they were fast on their way to the final fight. Her stomach began churning at the thought of the coming hours, they're going up against an AI who has developed very quickly.

About an hour into the flight, Lowri looked over at Clint.

"Can you take the controls?" She asked, "I need to get another ear piece. I left mine in Oslo." Clint nodded his head and he smiled.

"Of course." Clint said, he put his hands on the control column and looked at her.

"You have control." Lowri said, releasing her hands from the control column in front of her. She slid from her seat and passed Steve, who was in his favourite place to be whenever he's on the jet, just behind the cockpit.

She headed into the right wing where the small box of un-activated ear pieces are kept and took one from the box, she slid it into her ear and pressed the button on her wrist to connect the ear piece.

Lowri turned and spied the Maximoff twins sitting side by side on the other side of the jet. She went over to them with the box in her hand and she knelt down in front of them.

"Here." Lowri said, she picked one ear piece up and held it out for Pietro Maximoff to take. "These are ear pieces, they go in your ear, if you hadn't already guessed." Lowri said. She held up another ear piece for Wanda Maximoff to take. "With these, you can talk to us and we can talk to you. We know where everyone is then."

They both looked down at the ear pieces with confusion in their eyes, but they were hesitant to ask.

"Press the small button on the side and it'll link with everyone on the jet." Lowri said, pointing to a spare one.

"Thank you." They said together.

Lowri smiled as she stood up and she closed the box, she looked down at them both.

"The jacket suits you." Lowri said with a smile. Wanda looked up at her slightly doe-eyed. "Look after it, it was a gift."

Lowri passed one of the ear pieces over to Vision, as he is now so named. He silently slid the ear piece into his ear, as if he already knew what to do with it. of course, he's running Jarvis' matrix, he knows everything to do with their tech.

Her phone rang in her pocket and she excused herself to the right wing once more to put away the box and answer her phone.

"Hello?" Lowri asked.

"What the hell is going on?"

Lowri was almost stunned into silence, but then she laughed.

"For a moment there, I thought you were Nick. You really take on the role of director well." Lowri said.

"Oh, not so much nowadays. But, I just need clarification. What have you done?"

"Uh, died." Lowri replied almost sheepishly. She turned her back on her team and faced the wall.

"Did you get shot in the head again?"

"Yeah. Hurt like a bitch. But uh, right now, we're heading to fight the AI." Lowri explained. "And we don't know what the outcome could be. This Ultron, he'll bring destruction to the world."

"Well, I want you to know that Theta Protocol is well underway."

"Brilliant." Lowri breathed out, she glanced behind her at her team and sighed. "We will need some old friends. I'm glad I can count on you."

"What are old friends for, eh?"

"I'm very glad I picked you up outside your college." Lowri said with a laugh, "Oh, I better go, Steve's got his serious face on again."

"Better not hold you up, Cap won't be happy."

"Oh, before I forget to tell you, Steve and I are off on a date as soon as this whole mess is over." Lowri said, trying to fight off her smile.

"No way."

"Way." Lowri laughed, "I kinda didn't give him a chance to turn me down."

"I'm happy for you. Anyway, I better let you go."

"Yeah. Alright, I'll talk to you soon." Lowri said, she hung up the phone and slid her phone into her pocket.

Steve watched Lowri carefully as she came back into the room. He was always curious about her strange and anonymous phone calls, since she never revealed the caller's identity.

* * *

 **Can anyone guess who Lowri keeps calling?**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Happy Tuesday, readers!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _"Here." Lowri said, she picked one ear piece up and held it out for Pietro Maximoff to take. "These are ear pieces, they go in your ear, if you hadn't already guessed." Lowri said. She held up another ear piece for Wanda Maximoff to take. "With these, you can talk to us and we can talk to you. We know where everyone is then."_

 _They both looked down at the ear pieces with confusion in their eyes, but they were hesitant to ask._

 _"Press the small button on the side and it'll link with everyone on the jet." Lowri said, pointing to a spare one._

 _"Thank you." They said together._

 _Lowri smiled as she stood up and she closed the box, she looked down at them both._

 _"The jacket suits you." Lowri said with a smile. Wanda looked up at her slightly doe-eyed. "Look after it, it was a gift."_

 _Lowri passed one of the ear pieces over to Vision, as he is now so named. He silently slid the ear piece into his ear, as if he already knew what to do with it. of course, he's running Jarvis' matrix, he knows everything to do with their tech._

 _Her phone rang in her pocket and she excused herself to the right wing once more to put away the box and answer her phone._

 _"Hello?" Lowri asked._

 _"What the hell is going on?"_

 _Lowri was almost stunned into silence, but then she laughed._

 _"For a moment there, I thought you were Nick. You really take on the role of director well." Lowri said._

 _"Oh, not so much nowadays. But, I just need clarification. What have you done?"_

 _"Uh, died." Lowri replied almost sheepishly. She turned her back on her team and faced the wall._

 _"Did you get shot in the head again?"_

 _"Yeah. Hurt like a bitch. But uh, right now, we're heading to fight the AI." Lowri explained. "And we don't know what the outcome could be. This Ultron, he'll bring destruction to the world."_

 _"Well, I want you to know that Theta Protocol is well underway."_

 _"Brilliant." Lowri breathed out, she glanced behind her at her team and sighed. "We will need some old friends. I'm glad I can count on you."_

 _"What are old friends for, eh?"_

 _"I'm very glad I picked you up outside your college." Lowri said with a laugh, "Oh, I better go, Steve's got his serious face on again."_

 _"Better not hold you up, Cap won't be happy."_

 _"Oh, before I forget to tell you, Steve and I are off on a date as soon as this whole mess is over." Lowri said, trying to fight off her smile._

 _"No way."_

 _"Way." Lowri laughed, "I kinda didn't give him a chance to turn me down."_

 _"I'm happy for you. Anyway, I better let you go."_

 _"Yeah. Alright, I'll talk to you soon." Lowri said, she hung up the phone and slid her phone into her pocket._

 _Steve watched Lowri carefully as she came back into the room. He was always curious about her strange and anonymous phone calls, since she never revealed the caller's identity._

* * *

"Alright everyone, listen up." Steve began, he looked around the team and drew all attention on him. "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed for. The people of Sokovia, they didn't. So, our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done." Steve said.

He paused and he looked around the group again "We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff and clear the field, keep the fight between us." Somehow, his eyes found each of them. "Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what wrong with the world. This isn't about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

"Thor, I want you to investigate what Ultron's been building. Go underground and stay out of sight. Bruce, you're to go with Thor, find Nat and get her away from the fight." Steve ordered, he paused and then looked at Tony, "Stark, I want you in the air with eyes on everything, see what you can find that's odd about the city. Barton, I want you somewhere high. Use your eyes. And Vision, find Ultron. Take him out of the Internet and stop all possible exits for him. Make him trapped."

Steve looked at the Maximoff twins and then he looked at Lowri.

"The four of us will work on the ground on evac." Steve ordered, "Wanda, you can get into people's minds, right?"

"Yes." Wanda answered.

"Work your magic into the people's minds, get them to up and leave." Steve ordered, "And Pietro, run fast around the city. Try to get the law on our side, then round up the people and get them out of the city. You can find the best ins and outs."

Pietro nodded his head and then there was beeping into the cockpit, announcing that they were due to land in a few minutes, Lowri and Clint stepped away immediately and slid into their seats.

"You want to take the landing, Clint?" Lowri asked, strapping herself in.

"What's this? Misfire giving me the controls willingly for a landing? Are you feeling alright?" Clint teased but he took control immediately.

"There must be something wrong with me if I let you do a landing." Lowri said, laughing with him. "I guess I'm just in a good mood."

"Ready to destroy some tin soldiers?" Clint asked, smirking at her.

"Oh, yes." Lowri answered with a smile, "I'm more than ready."

Clint landed them quickly and then as soon as the jet touched the floor, Tony was in his suit and up in the air, Bruce and Thor went off together to the centre of the city, Pietro ran off with his sister in his arms and Vision shot off into the sky.

"Right, this is where I leave you." Clint said, turning to Lowri. "See ya in a bit."

"Ta-ra." Lowri said, she began turning off the engines and Clint left the cockpit. She heard him keep on walking then he ran off, leaving Lowri and Steve alone.

She left the cockpit and faced Steve after turning off the engine. He was waiting for her.

"You never told me what my job is." Lowri said, coming to a stop in front of him and she looked up.

"That's because I'm still not used to ordering you around." Steve chuckled. They fell into step together and left the jet, they immediately headed into the city. "We're working together on the ground. From all the intel we got on the city, there's only one main road out. And that's over a bridge. So, our task to make sure that they all get out safely."

"Sounds easy." Lowri said with a smile. They were now in sight of the bridge, where traffic was already moving steadily across. "And when all of this is over," Lowri began, she looked up at Steve and he looked down at her, their eyes connected and Lowri felt that very familiar tug at her stomach. She can never get used to looking into his eyes. "I'm taking you out on a date."

Steve chuckled and then he dropped his eyes to the floor then put his hands on his hips.

"You know, it's supposed to be the other way around. The guy is supposed to take the girl out." Steve noted, he looked at her again and smiled.

"Times have changed, Steve." Lowri said, "Women are taking steps to be independent, they're taking on leading jobs in their careers once destined only for men, they're asking for equal pay for the jobs they do, and they're asking out men who took their fancy."

Lowri stepped for the bridge and Steve waited before stepping off after her. The bridge, a small connection to the city, was only a two lane, two-way road. As there were no cars coming in, the two lands were being used as an escape route and at first, all the drivers they saw were compliant. They listened, they were calm, but then more cars began showing up and the road got busier.

Cars began coming from every direction from the city and pretty soon, the entire road leading out of the city on the other side of the bridge was gridlocked and traffic moved slowly.

Horns were blasted when someone cut up someone else, cars began moving at a slow crawl and it was infuriating.

Steve and Lowri twisted and weaved through the almost-standstill traffic to urge cars forward, to stop a roadside brawl from happening.

Sunrise came and it was pretty clear that no one was leaving the city by car anytime soon. Tony confirmed their fears when he flew high enough.

" _The city is gridlocked._ " Tony said over comms.

"People love their cars too much, and they don't understand the danger. Do you think we should just get them to abandon the cars and evacuate on foot?" Lowri asked.

"That might be the only way right now." Steve agreed, they shared a look with each other over the tops of the cars.

" _There's more people coming._ " Clint reported.

As people on foot began making their way over the bridge, with Steve and Lowri guiding them through the maze of angry car drivers and their cars, the earth beneath their feet seemed to shake with incredible power and the concrete cracked.

Lowri began practically pushing the civilians near her to get over the bridge as more concrete cracked and people began screaming in fear.

The cracks grew bigger and bigger, the earth still shook and then, robots, shiny steel coloured suits began scrambling out of the cracks and then some even flew into the air.

The robotic bright blue eyes were terrifying, even to Lowri and she knew in her heart she could destroy at least some of them.

Then, all hell broke loose.

These suits began chasing after civilians, terrorising them so of course, Steve and Lowri had to step in. Lowri dashed for the nearest one to her as she heated up her hands, she dove at the suit and the metal melted fast. As one collapsed, another appeared in front of her.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted Steve fighting hand to hand with the suits and she knew he would be fine. The suits were learning quickly on how to attack.

The one she was currently fighting was getting better at hand to hand combat, even managed to get a few hits in on her. She had a cut on her lip and the inside of her cheek was torn, she was tasting blood.

As Lowri melted the face off the suit, the earth began shaking beneath them again and Lowri looked for Steve immediately, she knew he was somewhere on the bridge and if the shaking continued, she feared that the bridge would collapse.

He was running towards the middle of the bridge and he caught hold of one of the suits chasing him, he tore the head off and discarded both head and body as he ran.

Then the most odd thing happened, Lowri felt the earth beneath her rising, slowly. She stopped for a long moment, letting the scared and panicked feeling take hold as they flew upwards slowly then she kicked herself into gear when she saw Steve stop running and almost fall off the edge.

She wound her way through the stopped cars and headed for Steve, Lowri pelted along the pavement and then she threw herself off the edge.

"Lowri!" Steve yelled but then he checked himself and remembered she could fly. Lowri called the fire to her skin and let it run all the way to her fingertips and ends of her toes before shooting back up into the air.

She flew away from the flying city and turned back to watch it as she felt the scared feeling return to her. The situation had changed drastically, from a simple evacuation and surprise attack, now they had to battle something else entirely, as well as save the civilians still on the flying city.

Lowri watched with horror was the city rose in front of her eyes. In the far distance, Lowri spied Tony in the same position as her, watching with the feeling that not a lot can be done.

She shot back up into the air to catch up with the city and she flew back to Steve. It was hard to match her speed with the rising speed of the city and she was fairly out of breath when she gripped hold of the rocky ledge where the bridge had been. She cooled her hands down and tried to grasp with her other hand but when she shifted her weight, the rock beneath her hand fell loose and she lost her grip.

Steve quickly grabbed both her hands and pulled her to her feet with ease and looked into her eyes, his own set of blue eyes were showing the same amount of horror and panic as she felt.

"The city is flying." Lowri breathed out, Steve kept hold of both her hands and pulled her closer, he looked as though he wanted to say something but then one of the suits flew into the air and the blue piercing eyes turned to a dangerous red.

" _Do you see,_ " Ultron's voice came out of the suit in front of them, it was loud and almost echoing, both Steve and Lowri turned to look at it, still hand clasped. " _The beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise, only to fall._ "

Lowri felt her entire body freeze and she gripped Steve's hands tighter, Ultron's voice was soothing but the words he was saying was completely unmatched yet they fit together perfectly.

" _You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me._ " Relief flooded Lowri, at least Vision had done his part in blocking Ultron from the net. " _It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world._ " As Ultron spoke, Lowri felt her gut ache with foreknowing. " _Will be metal._ "

This is it.

Lowri was torn away from Steve when a large wave of suits came at them, and while trying to fight off these suits and destroy them and making sure that the civilians still in the cars around them, Steve and Lowri also had to make sure that they themselves weren't thrown off the edge of the fast-rising city.

When there was a lull, Lowri took the time to scope out the area, seeing where most the suits were congregating.

"They're all over there, Steve." Lowri panted, she leant on a car and looked up at Steve.

"I'll go over-" Steve began but Lowri shook her head and he stopped talking.

"I'll go." Lowri breathed out, she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "I'll go."

Steve nodded his head after a few short moments and his eyes searched hers.

"Stay safe." He said shortly.

It was Lowri's turn to nod her head at him and as she turned from him, she took off at a run over to the large open, grassy area where metal suits were creating havoc.

Fighting the metal suits was definitely testing her abilities. Ever since that setback with the serum she got injected with, Lowri hadn't been at the top of her game and she isn't right now. She's sloppy. A few suits got hits in on her and the number of fallen suits wasn't high enough for her yet.

" _Cap, you got incoming._ " Tony reported over comms. Lowri paused momentarily and turned her head, scanning for Steve on the bridge but she couldn't see him.

" _Incoming already came in._ " Steve grunted. Lowri still couldn't see him but her concentration was taken from him, another suit knocked her to the ground and as she landed, she rolled and raised her hands, sending up a stream of fire.

Lowri lay on the ground, momentarily stunned and she looked around. Large vehicles, abandoned by their drivers, were blown up on the spot and the civilians that still hadn't found cover began screaming and then they found cover.

" _Stark, you worry about bringing this city down safely. The rest of us have one job._ " Steve said as Lowri slowly got to her feet and turned in a slow circle, as she turned, she spied Steve coming around one of the cars on the bridge. " _Tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed,_ " Steve turned and locked eyes with Lowri. " _Walk it off._ "

Steve began walking towards her and Lowri went to meet him halfway but then there was a horrible groan and Steve wheeled around, he ran back to the bridge just as the edge of the bridge began giving away and the cars that were balanced on top, began tilting towards the edge.

Lowri made to go after him but another suit distracted her. Lowri fought off the suit and as the suit fell in front of her, she heard the loud and impressive roar of an unleashed Hulk and Lowri knew that they now had some sort of chance of winning against these never-ending suits. Bruce could easily rip his way through this army.

Nat rolled in a few minutes later, still wearing her battered field suit and she wielded her electrified batons in both hands, zapping each suit that crossed her path. She approached Lowri while both were still fighting.

"I thought you and Banner were on orders to get away from the fight?" Lowri called from where she stood, melting suits with a non-stop stream of fire.

"He wanted to." Nat replied, she ducked and rolled while she used her batons to take down three suits. "But I knew that I couldn't leave you guys to fight these alone."

Lowri paused for a moment, she watched her friend move fluidly and seemed to pick up on a strange aura around her.

"Did you kiss him?" Lowri asked straightforwardly.

"No." Nat answered before she ducked again and kicked one of the suits in its metal chest, she twisted almost mid-air and zapped the suit with one of her batons.

Lowri twisted and jumped into the air and shot a large fire ball into the chest of one of the suits, the fireball seared its way through three more suits before fizzling out in a fourth and Lowri had to make another one to take out that suit.

"But I pushed him over a cliff to bring out the Hulk." Nat added, making Lowri laugh.

Suddenly, Thor flew in with his hammer ready in his hand and as he landed, Thor belted out a few suits and was drawn into the fight with the remainder of the suits quickly.

The minutes dragged as they fought to lower the number of suits in the area but it was taking too long. There was another loud explosion nearby and then Thor was pulled into the air and carted off by Ultron.

"Holy crap." Lowri muttered under her breath, she huffed out a breath and then looked mildly surprised to see Steve making his way towards them having cleared the bridge, he took down suits as he made his way over.

" _Alright, we're clear here._ " Clint said over comms, referring to the block of flats that had been evacuated before the city began rising into the air.

" _We are not clear. We are very not clear!_ " Steve grunted as he took down more suits.

" _Alright. Coming to you."_ Clint said.

By now, Lowri's feet like they were going to fall off, she was panting and breathing heavy from all the fighting and she had blood on her chin from a split lip that seemed to refuse to clot.

The suits kept on coming and coming it seemed, they were relentless. As soon as one suit was taken out of action, three more took its place.

The fight carried on and on, Lowri's hands ached with pain and her arms were getting sore but they had no chance to stop.

As Lowri spun on one foot and kicked with the other, she spied a group of about ten civilians, huddled against a wall, some crying in fear, some silent and others making petrified sounds.

She finished off the suit she was fighting and then she ducked another, spun away from it and raced towards the group of people.

"Come on! Why're you still out here? Get moving!" Lowri yelled at them, she spied an open doorway and directed them towards that. She moved with them and she was glad she did. A suit strayed from the rest of the others and made a beeline for Lowri and the people she was guiding.

Lowri turned on the suit and melted the body in half before aiming a stream of fire at the head and destroyed the suit.

She turned back to the group of ten and quickly ushered them through the open doorway and into a building where they could at least hide.

As Lowri left the building, it was as though they were in a cloud. They were up high by now, probably at cloud level. Lowri scanned the area, looking for Steve and Nat but she could barely see in front of her.

" _The next wave is gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?"_ Steve asked.

As the cloud cleared slightly, Lowri caught sight of Steve and she made her way over.

" _Huh? Oh, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear._ " Tony answered.

" _I asked for a solution, not an escape plan._ " Steve remarked as Lowri came to a stop just beside him. He stood overlooking the wonderful view of the sky just beyond the rising city. They were near the edge and if they moved closer, they'd be right on the edge and they could look down.

Steve looked down at Lowri with relief in his eyes and he stepped closer.

" _The impact radius is getting bigger every second, we're gonna have to make a choice._ " Tony said in an almost-defeated tone.

Steve looked away from Lowri and frowned. Lowri crossed to in front of him and took one of his hands in her own.

"You're not making this choice alone, Steve." Lowri said, reminding him that she's there for him.

"Are you gonna make it with me?" Steve asked, almost testing her.

"It's not the first time I've made a tough decision, granted that they weren't as big as this." Lowri said, she looked up into his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "There's no way of getting every living soul off this rock in time and there's no chance of getting it down safely. It's better to risk the lives up here than down there, we might not see it now but this might be the only way."

"You can't be serious, Lowri." Steve said, he took his hand from hers and looked away as if he couldn't believe the words that came from her mouth.

"I am." She breathed. She felt defeated. Steve wants to save everyone but sometimes, things can't work out that way.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." Steve said firmly, he looked back at her and his eyes held such intensity that Lowri almost lost her next words.

"I don't plan on that either." Lowri said and Steve's eyes changed to shock. Did he really doubt that she would abandon all of these people? "I've been alive for a long time. I guess I'll have to go at one point, so, I might as well go when I got a view like this."

Steve reached for her hand and he held on tight. Lowri felt the warmth spread from her hand and through her body, she smiled up at him as his thumb brushed the back of her hand and he opened his mouth to say something but something big cut him off.

" _I hope you're not giving up on us, Miss Jones_." Lowri's mouth dropped open and she looked away from Steve. " _I mean, we are acting on your orders_."

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I am really sorry about the big wait between chapters, I promise I will get better!**

 **So, guys, who has seen Avengers End Game? I need to go see it again! I've already got some ideas for Lowri and Steve... watch this space!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

"The impact radius is getting bigger every second, we're gonna have to make a choice." _Tony said in an almost-defeated tone._

 _Steve looked away from Lowri and frowned. Lowri crossed to in front of him and took one of his hands in her own._

 _"You're not making this choice alone, Steve." Lowri said, reminding him that she's there for him._

 _"Are you gonna make it with me?" Steve asked, almost testing her._

 _"It's not the first time I've made a tough decision, granted that they weren't as big as this." Lowri said, she looked up into his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "There's no way of getting every living soul off this rock in time and there's no chance of getting it down there, we might not see it now but this might be the only way."_

 _"You can't be serious, Lowri." Steve said, he took his hand from hers and looked away as if he couldn't believe the words that came from her mouth._

 _"I am." She breathed. She felt defeated. Steve waants to save everyone but sometimes, things can't work out that way._

 _"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it." Steve said firmly, he looked back at her and his eyes held such intensity that Lowri almost lost her next words._

 _"I don't plan on that either." Lowri and Steve's eyes changed to shock. Did he really doubt that she would abandon all of these people? "I've been alive for a long time. I guess I'll have to go at one point, so, I might as well go when I got a view like this."_

 _Steve reached for her hand and he held on tight. Lowri felt the warmth spread from her hand and through her body, she smiled up at him as his thumb brushed the back of her hand and he opened his mouth to say something but something big cut him off._

 _"_ I hope you're not giving up on us, Miss Jones. _" Lowri's mouth dropped open and she looekd away from Steve. "_ I mean, we are acting on your orders."

* * *

There was a loud whirring noise and then the top of something huge broke the skyline in front of them. A helicarrier, a massive flying old-style helicarrier rose up and up until it levelled with the rising rock, floating like an impressive fortress.

" _Nice, right? Pulled her out of storage with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do._ " Nick said. Lowri knew that Nick was grinning and she could barely keep the smile off her face.

"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve breathed out, he dropped Lowri's hand and stepped forward once, staring at the helicarrier.

"Ooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Nick asked jokingly as the helicarrier rose with the city, side hanging doors lifted open and multiple bright orange life boats flew out and headed for the floating city.

"This is S. H. I. E. L. D.?" Pietro asked as he stopped beside Lowri and Steve, looking at the large helicarrier with wide eyes.

"This is what S. H. I. E. L. D. is supposed to be." Steve answered, he smiled and then looked down at Lowri.

"This is S. H. I. E. L. D." Lowri breathed, she watched the lifeboats fly over their heads and then she looked at Steve.

"This is not so bad." Pietro said slowly.

"Let's load them up." Steve grinned as one of the lifeboats began landing in the square. Steve grinned at Lowri then the two of them began running towards the lifeboat.

" _Lifeboats are landing throughout the city. Spread the word and get as many civilians on board as you can._ " Lowri ordered through comms.

This is what Lowri imagined S. H. I. E. L. D. to be when the organisation began, she imagined agents rushing to a country's aid when things turned upside down, of course, helicarriers weren't in mind then and either was flying lifeboats or an army of empty metal suits being led by an AI with a death warrant for the Avengers.

Steve and Lowri let go of each other and headed in different directions. One lifeboat was waiting for clearance to land as the people were milling about underneath and Lowri ran in and helped move them out of the way so the lifeboat could land.

"Come on! Go, go!" Lowri called, she guided civilians from a building with the help of some of the Sokovian police force.

When the lifeboat was full of people, the lifeboat lifted into the air and began making its journey towards the helicarrier to unload and come back, the police rounded up the rest of the civilians and moved them indoors and Lowri watched the lifeboat fly off and her heart sunk when she spied a large group of flying suits make their way towards the helicarrier.

Lowri threw herself into the air and shouted back instructions to the police before shooting off into the air after the large group of suits. Before Lowri could reach them, she spied a black dot shooting around the helicarrier and an array of weapons came out of the shoulders. _Rhodey._

" _Thor, I got a plan._ " Tony stated over comms.

" _We're out of time. They're coming for the core._ " Thor said urgently.

The core. Friday mentioned something about the core a little while ago. Made of Vibranium and if Ultron gets it, then the city drops and a lot of people will die.

" _Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier._ " Tony ordered.

" _On it._ " Rhodey replied.

" _Avengers, it's time to work for a living._ " Tony added as he flew off.

He headed for Lowri and she moved with him. They matched speed and headed for the church where the core was situated. As they flew, Lowri looked around and saw there was no suits milling around, it was as though they had all disappeared.

As they neared the church, they realised why the suits were attacking the church. The suits were trying to access the metal core sticking out of the ground in the centre of the church and Thor was trying hard to stop it.

Immediately Lowri and Tony dove into the thick of things and began defending the core along with Thor.

Steve rolled in a few seconds later, knocking down one of the suits in the process and he jumped up with his back to the core, ready for the next attack.

" _Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini._ '" Tony quipped as he glanced around the rest of the group.

" _Relax, shell-head. Not all of us can fly._ " Nat replied.

Only a few seconds later, there was a very loud crashing noise and Lowri saw the large yellow vehicle crashed into a fence and then Nat came running in with a smirk on her face.

"What's the drill?" Nat asked as she fell into place in the circle surrounding the core.

"This is the drill." Tony stated, he turned and pointed at the metal core. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

With one of his roars, Bruce arrived and smashed several suits into pieces.

Ultron arrived as soon as all of them were assembled, hovering mid-air and almost smirking down on them.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor raged at Ultron.

Ultron simply raised one of his hands and gestured behind him to were hundreds more of the suits seemed to rise from the dust. A wave of suits moved as one, running towards the church as another wave of suits rose into the air to meet Ultron.

"You had to ask." Steve remarked, looking at Thor.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I want. All of you," Ultron began, gesturing to the Avengers. "Against all of me." Ultron gestured to his army. "How can you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well," Tony began, he stepped forward slightly. "Like the old man said," Tony looked over Lowri's head to look at Steve. "Together."

Bruce let out one of his ear-splitting roars and then that set off the suits, they began rushing towards the church and they streamed in through open doorways, surrounding those on the floor and the flying suits came flooding through the gaps in the roof.

Lowri, Tony and Vision used the space in the air to protect the core from above. The rest of them fought from below and it was tough. Suits were teaming everywhere. Ultron swooped in and attacked Vision when it was clear that he was tired of his army doing his dirty work.

Ultron's attack was short-lived. Vision has the Mind Stone and he's learning how to use it. He turned the stone on Ultron and Ultron's new Vibranium body couldn't hold up that well. Ultron was tossed out of the church, he landed and tried to fight back so Thor got involved with his hammer and lightening. Then when it was evident that Ultron was still resisting, Tony joined in with his man-made firearms and when it was clear that it was harder to beat Ultron than they thought, Lowri joined in with her fire.

Ultron fell to his knees and then the mix of fire, lightening, firearms and the Stone's powers was too much and it melted Ultron's face and then he held up his hands in submission.

The team held back their powers and watched Ultron carefully, ready to attack again.

"You know… with the benefit of hindsight-" Ultron began but he was cut off by Bruce appearing out of nowhere and socking him clean on the jaw. Ultron went flying backwards and high into the air, he crashed straight into a train and lay there, defeated.

There was a small group of suits, some mangled and some whole who saw the entire thing and thinking with their own minds, they turned tail and ran. They flew off the edge and began flying away.

"They're trying to leave the city. We can't let them. Not even one, Rhodey." Tony said quickly.

" _I'm on it._ " Rhodey replied, he shot around the sky, heading for the escaping suits. " _Oh no, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine coming at you!_ " Lowri chuckled as she watched, Vision was making his way over and he cleanly destroyed most of the suits with the Mind Stone. " _Okay, what?_ "

Lowri headed inside with the others, the suits decorated the floor surrounding the core. Nat, Clint, Wanda, Pietro and Steve were stood in a circle near the core, deciding on what to do next.

"We gotta move. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. I'll be right behind you." Steve said, he looked around at them all and his eyes settled on Lowri.

"What about the core?" Clint asked quickly.

"I'll protect it." Lowri offered, she caught Steve's look and shrugged her shoulders. "I've got my fire, I can fly out of this place when it blows."

"Are you sure, Ri?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. How hard can it be?" Lowri asked.

"Nat." Clint said shortly, he jerked his head towards the exit and he looked at the Maximoff twins. "This way." He and Nat headed outside and the twins weren't too far behind, leaving Steve and Lowri alone in the church.

Steve looked down at her with concern in his eyes but it was clear that he didn't want Lowri to know that he was worried for her.

"Uh, keep yourself safe." Steve said slowly. Lowri smiled up at him as he dropped his eyes to the floor.

Lowri was already stood on the raised platform, right by the core and she was near to eye level with him.

Steve looked up slowly and made a quick, one second decision. He stepped closer to her so that there were mere centimetres between their bodies and Lowri could feel her chest move up and down to match his breathing. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment and then, Steve pressed his lips to hers.

So much went into the kiss, the years of being torn apart by various events and issues were only a tiny part of it. Lowri curved her body to meet his and his hands reached to support her.

The kiss only lasted for five seconds and Lowri yearned for more of his gentle touch, Steve pulled back and rested his hand in the small of her back.

"You kissed me first, all those years ago." Steve began, he looked deep into her eyes and Lowri was mesmerised. "You made the first move because I was too scared. Now I get to kiss you first." He pulled her tighter to him so she was flush against him. "I want to kiss you again, once all of this is over, once we have time to breathe again. Maybe on our date. Or God knows when, but I want to kiss you again. So, you have one job."

"Which is?" Lowri asked gently.

"Keep yourself safe." Steve ordered.

Lowri glanced down at the floor and chuckled, she rested her hand on his upper arm with a smirk on her lips.

"Aye, aye, Captain." She said playfully.

Steve chuckled but he dropped his hand and stepped back from her, her hand fell from his arm and he was gone in seconds.

Lowri turned back to the core and began taking on the straggling suits that kept trying to attack the core. There was a surprising number attacking but since most were already damaged, Lowri managed to keep them at bay, and keep her cool and keep the core intact.

It was only a few minutes before she heard Tony talk again on comms.

" _Thor, I'm gonna need you back in the church._ " Tony said, there was a pause. " _You know, if this works, maybe we all walk away._ "

" _Maybe._ " Thor breathed.

Lowri beat back another suit and turned back to the core, there's a chance that everyone can walk away from this. Her stomach lifted and so did her heart.

Thor flew in and landed aggressively, as he landed, he pounded one of the suits into the floor with his hammer and he made Lowri jump. Lowri spun to face Thor, without knowing who had entered the church, her hands and arms danced with dangerous flames but she dimmed the fire as soon as she saw that it was Thor.

"What are you still doing here?" Thor asked as he dropped his hammer to his side and he straightened up.

"Protecting the core." Lowri said, she lifted her hand up and formed a fireball and in the next second, she threw the fireball around Thor and hit two incoming suits.

"You need to go." Thor said urgently. "We are about to crack this rock."

"I know." Lowri said, she stepped away from the core and stepped down the steps. She turned back to Thor. "What about you?"

"I am mighty." Thor replied, flashing a grin at Lowri.

"You're big-headed." Lowri remarked, rolling her eyes at Thor.

During their little exchange, they were both focused on each other and not the core or the half a suit slowly reaching for the top of the core. The suit twisted the top of the core and the earth below their feet dropped with surprising force.

"Shit!" Lowri cussed as she and Thor involuntarily flew into the air. Thor gripped the core in one hand and reached for Lowri with the other, he held her tight and Lowri gripped his upper arm.

"Push off from me!" Thor commanded. Lowri jumped into the air, still holding onto Thor and she planted her feet on Thor's leg and pushed off into the air.

Lowri shot off into the air and summoned her fire but she could barely see where she was going. All she knew is that she had to fly upwards. The dust and debris surrounded her and even though she was in danger, the city looked oddly beautiful.

The air surrounding her suddenly became alive with electricity and began crackling around her. Lowri knew that she had to get out of there sharpish before she was fried alive.

Lowri pushed herself hard and despite how fast she was going and how fast the rock was falling, it was taking her a long time to clear the city.

" _Now_!" Tony yelled over comms. Lowri pushed herself harder and she finally had sight of the helicarrier in front of her, but it was still far away.

Lowri heard the massive explosion before she felt the wave of energy pushing outwards, her body juddered with the explosion and she neared the helicarrier with surprising speed.

She spun involuntary and she almost spiralled out of control but she managed to control herself and she headed for the helicarrier, feeling slightly exhausted. Her chest ached with the dust she had inhaled and she was dying to cough.

A hand shot out over the edge of the helicarrier and grasped her hand firmly, Lowri was pulled onto the helicarrier and she tripped over the edge, stumbling then she went down.

Lowri sprawled on the floor, coughing her guts up and clutching at her stomach. She felt a hand on her back and Lowri settled on her knees, the coughing settled.

She looked at the sky for a long moment before turning to face the person beside her, Nick.

"I'm glad to see that you've worked through your drama." Nick said with a laugh.

"We worked it out." Lowri said, her voice was raspy. "And I'm so glad that Theta protocol actually works."

"You were one of the brains behind it. Of course, it was gonna work." Nick said, he got to his feet and he looked down at her. "This is some mess."

Lowri looked down at the world below them, breathing heavily. There was a massive dust cloud hovering above the earth, almost reaching the helicarrier.

"It's nothing we can't clean up." Lowri replied, she looked back up at Nick. "I'm so glad that you aren't dead."

"Likewise." Nick said, "I'm heading back inside. You coming?"

"No." Lowri replied, "I think I'll stay out here for a bit longer."

Nick nodded his head once at her before he turned and headed back towards the building with his hands in his pockets.

Lowri sat down properly and let herself relax for once, her limbs felt loose and her breathing was easier, her stomach didn't hurt and she watched the crumbling city fall from the sky.

She was there, alone, for seconds before her peace was disturbed.

She heard someone call her name out from behind her and she heard loud footsteps. Lowri looked behind her and saw it was Steve, she turned just as he came to a stop and he offered her his hand.

He pulled her up quickly and she fell into him. Her hands were flat on his chest and his hands gripped her upper arms.

"Whoa!" She laughed as she got her balance. "Hi there."

Steve didn't say anything, instead he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that seemed to last for a very long time.

Lowri clasped the fabric under her hands and he gripped her tighter. The air around them grew heated as the kiss did, she pressed herself closer to him and he wrapped one arm around her.

She had no clue as to how long they were stood there, wrapped up in each other's arms. Eventually, Lowri pulled back and looked up at him, her chest heaving to match his.

"I told you I wanted to kiss you again." Steve said gently, he looked down at her with adoration in his eyes and Lowri smiled, she went onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"And I'm glad you did." Lowri breathed out. "I thought I was a goner when the city dropped." Steve held onto her tighter.

"Let's go inside." Steve said softly.

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading!**

 **The story is coming to an end shortly, one, maybe two more updates. I will be continuing with the events of Civil War!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters that may be used or any Marvel storylines or arcs.**

 **Claimer: I only own the character Elizabeth Jones (Lowri Jones and any other names she uses) and her story past, present and future.**

* * *

 _Recap_

 _Lowri sat down properly and let herself relax for once, her limbs felt loose and her breathing was easier, her stomach didn't hurt and she watched the crumbling city fall from the sky._

 _She was there, alone, for seconds before her peace was disturbed._

 _She heard someone call her name out from behind her and she heard loud footsteps. Lowri looked behind her and saw it was Steve, she turned just as he came to a stop and he offered her his hand._

 _He pulled her up quickly and she fell into him. Her hands were flat on his chest and his hands gripped her upper arms._

 _"Whoa!" She laughed as she got her balance. "Hi there."_

 _Steve didn't say anything, instead he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that seemed to last for a very long time._

 _Lowri clasped the fabric under her hands and he gripped her tighter. The air around them grew heated as the kiss did, she pressed herself closer to him and he wrapped one arm around her._

 _She had no clue as to how long they were stood there, wrapped up in each other's arms. Eventually, Lowri pulled back and looked up at him, her chest heaving to match his._

 _"I told you I wanted to kiss you again." Steve said gently, he looked down at her with adoration in his eyes and Lowri smiled, she went onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek._

 _"And I'm glad you did." Lowri breathed out. "I thought I was a goner when the city dropped." Steve held onto her tighter._

 _"Let's go inside." Steve said softly._

* * *

The days that followed the incident in Sokovia were busy and no one had time to think. But one thing was clear, the first date was put on hold until everything was settled once more.

There was a lot to deal with in the aftermath, there was the media hounding them night and day in the Avengers Headquarters in the Stark Tower, there were other countries demanding answers over what happened and there was the issue of certain team members wanting to retire.

Tony was the first to retire and then Clint joined him, Clint chose to retire to focus on his family as the newest edition to his family was going to be joining them shortly and Tony felt as though the entire Ultron thing was his fault and he should stay out of things for now on.

The Stark Tower was not going to be home for the Avengers anymore, as Tony was retiring, he wanted the Tower to become his company's sole use, so, he offered a large plot of land in Upstate, New York to use as their new Headquarters.

This plot of land turned out to be one which had a storage unit filled with all sorts of goodies and another building used for Stark Industries when Howard was running the show, there was even an office.

Behind this office was an apartment and this had been Lowri's during the late 1940s and early 1950s. After she had left the Howling Commandos, Lowri went into hiding, firstly staying with Peggy Carter and her family before moving into an apartment behind Howard Stark's office in this building where she stayed for a few years before new documentation was made for Lowri's new identity and she could come out of hiding.

Plans were drawn up to expand and update the site but first, Lowri and Tony checked the chosen building out. Mostly so they could have a private chat.

They talked about Bruce's disappearance using the jet, they talked about how Ultron was not Tony's fault, they talked about the chances of Tony finally settling with Pepper and they talked about the chances of Lowri finally settling with Steve.

There were two buildings on site but only one would be updated into living accommodation since the other could be used as actual storage. There was space for a serene garden, adequate training grounds and enough space to store a jet.

The storage unit was going to have a science division installed at one end of it as well so Stark Industries would still continue its work.

The building that was going to be converted into living accommodation had been home to Howard Stark's offices where he carried out most of his work after his stint at the SSR.

"Did you know that your dad had his own secret room down this corridor?" Lowri asked. They were at the top of a sad-looking corridor, the walls were showing age with dents and marks, the windows were dusted over and the carpet was of an old-taste. "He'd come down here when the workload got too big and he'd have a drink in private."

"But this is a dead end." Tony pointed out.

"Well, no, there was a storage room here." Lowri said, gesturing to a broken door on their left, halfway down the hall. "And this one was like a supply closet." She gestured to a door on her right, close to the bottom of the hall.

Lowri stepped down the hallway first, remembering from when she made the journey the last few times she had been here.

"Do you know your way in?" Tony asked as he followed her down the hall. "I'm sure there was nothing on the plans about a secret room."

"It's hidden, Tony." Lowri said. "Howard wanted it off the plans, so, your mother wouldn't find it if she came to visit. And so no one else in the building knew it was there."

"So, you don't know how to get in? Did Dad blindfold you or something?" Tony asked jokingly.

"No, I'm waiting to see if you really are your father's son." Lowri replied with a knowing smile.

Tony rolled his eyes at Lowri and took a step backwards so Lowri had full-view of the dead-end. Lowri stepped closer to the wall with a smile on her face.

"The trick is pressing at the right angle and sliding it." Lowri said, she pressed her hands against the wall with slight pressure and the wall gave a click, Lowri slid the door to the left to reveal a dark room.

"Bloody hell you were right." Tony said, Lowri stepped back so Tony could walk in first.

"Did you not believe me?" Lowri asked jokingly. "The light switch is just on your right."

Tony stepped in and turned the light on, staring at the wide room with equally wide eyes.

"Actually, I did. But wow. Dad hid a lot." Tony said slowly, he stepped into the room further and looked around the room.

Lowri stepped in after Tony and looked around the room. There was a large pale oak table pushed up against one of the walls with a thick layer of dust, the matching chairs were stacked to the side and the bookcases were full of old volumes and treasures. There was a desk with a few books, files and photos on the surface and photos adorned the wall.

Tony stepped closer to the bar that was against the left-hand wall and peered at the aged bottles.

"Dad knew his drink." Tony said, he pulled a face at them. "None of which I like."

"He did." Lowri confirmed. "Ever wonder where you got that talent from?"

"You need to stop." Tony laughed. He stepped over to the desk. "It's crazy how this has all sat here for the last few decades."

"And the alcohol has only gotten stronger." Lowri said with a knowing smile.

"No way." Tony said, he stepped over to the desk and peered at the photos. "Dad kept these old baby photos." Tony picked up one and looked at it with a smile growing on his face.

"Your dad was rather sentimental." Lowri remarked, she stepped closer.

"No, no, no. You don't get to see any of my baby photos." Tony said quickly, stepping backwards and he shielded the photo from Lowri.

"You forget," Lowri began, she smiled at Tony. "I'm your Godmother. I've seen you as a baby. I knew you as a baby. And I'm pretty sure I changed a few diapers."

Tony blanched and turned from Lowri, shoving the photo onto the desk again.

"Ewww. Too much information." Tony groaned.

"I'll leave you alone," Lowri said, she laughed as she walked towards the door. "Close the door after you." She called out.

Lowri stepped out of the secret room and headed for Howard's old office. She likes his old office, as well as the typical room where he used to meet and greet people, behind that office and through a connecting door, there was a whole entire apartment. There was an outdated kitchen, and outdated bathroom, a living area where bookcases lined the walls and a large spacious bedroom with an amazing view of the grounds.

After a few weeks of maintenance work and renovation, the building was ready for the Avengers to move in. Tony was paying for it all but he was definitely retiring, he said.

Steve and Lowri were still going to fight on as the Avengers, as was Nat. Lowri wasn't sure if she could retire and live a normal life, she has never had a normal life.

Rhodey was going to join them and so was Sam Wilson and Wanda Maximoff.

She was having a tough time adjusting to living in America and she was doing it alone. Her brother, Pietro, gave his life to save Clint from a spray of bullets from Ultron flying the Quin Jet. The whole thing is tough.

Steve, Nat and Lowri were the first to move onto the base. There was a new accommodation block put in place where the old offices were but Lowri had her old rooms behind Howard's old office, which was now her own, she planned to use it well.

Then Wanda moved in and took one of the new rooms. Then Sam and then Rhodey. Pretty soon the entire new team was there. For the first week of everyone living on the new base, Tony visited every day, just to make sure everything was going good and on the last day, Thor was planning on leaving. He had other business on Asgard and in the universe.

"No one knows about Dad's hideout, do they?" Tony asked as he and Lowri walked along the path running next to the training field just behind the new facility.

"Unless you've told someone, then no." Lowri replied, "I can keep a secret."

"So, no one knows." Tony said firmly, he smiled up at Lowri. "Good. Because I want you to have the room."

"Tony… why?" Lowri asked, she looked up at him. "I've already got your dad's old office and the rooms behind it."

"You have those because Dad built them for you." Tony said, "And because you'll need your own space that isn't just to work. Dad understood it. Hence that secret room."

"To hide his booze." Lowri pointed out knowingly.

"To hide himself away when things got crazy." Tony amended her. "And boy, will things get crazy around here."

Lowri smiling knowingly and nodded her head.

"Thank you, Tony." Lowri said gently.

"I just don't want to hear stories about you and the old man sneaking off for some fun time." Tony remarked. Lowri rolled her eyes and scoffed at Tony.

"You need to stop." Lowri laughed.

Tony said his goodbye to her and left her on the track next to the training field.

Lowri was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. When Howard was young and before he married, he had practically lived at these offices and worked very hard, this was before S. H. I. E. L. D. came about, he was great company for Lowri and it was actually here when they came up with the idea for an organisation similar to what S. H. I. E. L. D. became.

Later that night, Lowri walked past the bedrooms as a way of checking if everyone was alright, each of the doors were closed tightly and there were no lights shining underneath, indicating someone is awake, all except one.

She knew it to be the young witch, Wanda.

Lowri breathed in deeply and then knocked on the door.

"Go away." The muffled reply came but Lowri opened the door and stepped in. Lowri spied Wanda sitting upright on her bed, her eyes red with tears but she looked angry. "I said to go away."

"It's three in the morning, Wanda. I'm worried about you." Lowri said in a gentle voice.

"Worried? Why are you worried about me? You hate me." Wanda practically hissed.

Lowri stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, she turned the lights onto full and stood just at the end of the bed with one of her no-nonsense looks.

"I don't hate you, Wanda. I barely know you, yes. But hate is a strong word." Lowri said.

"I taunted the team with my visions." Wanda said, now instead of an angry young girl she sounded defeated.

"But not me. I was dead before you had the chance." Lowri said, she had a smile on her face and the girl opposite her chuckled. "I know you're feeling lost and out of place, it's natural once you lose someone that close to you, I know how it feels."

"No, you don't." Wanda snapped. She threw herself off the bed with her hands clenched to her side, her wild eyes locked on Lowri. A red mist formed around Wanda's closed fists. "You do not know what it's like to have someone who's a part of you ripped from you so cruelly."

Lowri noticed Wanda's accent became more pronounced the angrier she got. Rather like Lowri when she gets angry.

"He was my brother! He was all I had in this horrible world and now he's gone!" Wanda cried.

"I don't know how it feels?" Lowri asked. "You'd be surprised at what I've felt in the last two hundred years."

Wanda was stunned. No more tears came and her breathing slowed.

"I lost the man I love to something I could have helped." Lowri said in a quiet tone, she took a seat on the end of the bed and clasped her hands in her lap. "Steve refused my help because he thought the only way to stop the Eastern seaboard from being wiped out was to put the plane down with him inside. I lost him for almost seventy years. But before that, before my life became this walking circus, I had a family."

"Did something happen to them when you were younger?" Wanda asked, her eyes met Lowri and Lowri knew that the younger girl was thinking about her own past, how she lost her parents.

"Yes." Lowri said, her mind went back to her own parents. "Me."

She was thinking about telling Wanda about her past, maybe that would make the girl warm to her a bit more.

"I had a large family, four grandparents, two parents, four brothers and three sisters. I had four nieces and five nephews, one of my sisters was expecting twins and my sister in-law expecting too. And I had a twin brother." Lowri said slowly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Wanda said quickly.

"It's alright, only select few know." Lowri said, "I'm the reason why he and all of my family are dead. It wasn't old age that claimed my family, it was me and this." Lowri said, she held her hand up in front of her and she let the fire take hold. "When I realised what I had done, who I had killed, I was distraught. I was filled with grief over never seeing any of my family again, and I was filled with guilt at murdering my family, but I had to move on fast. I had to survive. But I had no one to talk to. I had no one to help me settle in a new world. So, I'm offering you someone to talk to and to help. I'm going to personally train with you to help you understand your powers better."

"How did you manage alone for so long? Did you not miss him?" Wanda asked, tears overfilled her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

"I miss him greatly." Lowri said, "I still do. As you know, it's like having your soul ripped in two and shredded into millions of pieces. I always wonder what sort of person he could have been and I always wonder if he would have liked the person I became."

"I wonder that too." Wanda said slowly.

"I think you should get some sleep now." Lowri said, she pushed herself to her feet. "Training starts tomorrow, early."

"Thank you, Lowri." Wanda said, turning to watch Lowri as Lowri walked over to the door.

"Call me Ri." Lowri said, turning back to face the younger girl with a smile on her face. "Get some sleep."

Lowri exited the room and wandered through the dorms and she reached the part of the building that led her back up to Howard's old office and her rooms.

After speaking with Wanda, Lowri was reminded at how much she actually misses her family and she went online to see if she could find her old home.

The site of her old home had been levelled out and was made into a carpark with a sign dedicated to twenty-seven members of the Jones and Andrews family who had perished there.

Lowri had visited in 1939, just before she enrolled in the WAAF, she had wanted to see what became of that dreadful site. Her eyes teared up and Lowri retired to bed.

She had little sleep before she was up and dressed in a pair of running leggings, matching sports bra and tank top.

Tony had thought ahead and built a simulation room in the storage building, slightly underground, for Lowri to train in and Lowri thought this was the perfect place to train with Wanda, as in an environment like this, she could actually be free and not scared to hurt anyone.

How right she was.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the final chapter of The Woman Out Of Time: The Continued Story: Part 2.**

 **Thank you to those who have stuck with me till the end, though this is not the end of the series... there is more to come!**

 **I'm working on my story based on Captain America: Civil War, then after that, it'll be Avengers Infinity War and Avengers End Game. I am working on a story based on Lowri's past but that won't be ready for a little while yet...**

 **Watch this space for the next story!**

 **Read, Review, Follow & Favourite!**


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